Trump Hits India With Major Tariffs Over Russian Oil Dealings

President Donald Trump is once again putting America and the free world first by cracking down on one of the globe’s biggest enablers of Putin’s war machine: India.

In a decisive move Wednesday, the Trump administration slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, with some duties now rising to as high as 50%, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The decision comes as a direct response to India’s continued importation of discounted Russian crude oil, even while the West is calling for an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.

In a statement posted to Truth Social last month, Trump minced no words:

“India is our friend, but their tariffs are far too high and their trade barriers are obnoxious… they buy most of their military equipment from Russia and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China. ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY.”

The White House’s stance is simple: if you're helping fund Russia’s war, you're going to pay a price. And while the media and globalists cry foul, this is exactly the kind of bold leadership the world needs.

The impact was immediate:

• The Indian rupee dropped to a three-week low

• Major Indian stock indexes fell 1%, their steepest drop in three months

• Indian officials admitted the move could affect $48.2 billion in exports, hitting key sectors like textiles, gems, and food products

• Industry experts warned U.S. orders from India could fall by 20 to 30%

Yet instead of owning up to their bad-faith dealings, Indian officials lashed out. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar accused the U.S. of hypocrisy for going soft on China and Europe while punishing India. But here’s the difference: India is not a neutral party it’s actively profiteering off a brutal war.

“India is just profiteering,” said Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “They are reselling… what I would call Indian arbitrage buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product. It’s unacceptable.”

India isn’t just buying Russian oil for itself it’s turning around and reselling refined products on the global market, propping up both its economy and Russia’s at the same time. That’s not neutrality. That’s opportunism at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Western security.

For years, India has played both sides maintaining high trade barriers and refusing to level the playing field for American companies, all while leaning heavily on Russian weapons and energy. Trump is calling their bluff.

The Biden-Obama foreign policy model was all about endless summits, watered-down statements, and “partnerships” with countries that undercut us at every turn. Trump’s model? Accountability through strength.

Despite the tariff blow, both nations issued statements this week reaffirming their “eagerness” to keep building on defense and commerce ties. That’s fine but don’t expect business as usual when you're helping bankroll one of the world's worst aggressors.

Under President Trump, the message is simple: you don’t get to profit off American markets while bankrolling dictators. If India wants continued trade access, it must act like an ally not a middleman for Putin’s oil empire.

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