President Donald Trump said this week that due to India’s “massive” purchases of Russian oil he would “substantially” increase the U.S. tariff on Indian imports, which is already at 25 percent.
Note: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned Russian crude oil.
India responded saying it bought Russian oil with U.S. support. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”
[Note: Biden’s U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said of India at a Council on Foreign Affairs conference last year: “They bought Russian oil because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil.” He added, “It was actually the design of the policy, because as a commodity we didn’t want oil prices going up.”]
Former 2024 GOP presidential candidate and Trump’s former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley responded to the exchange between the U.S. and India.
India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 5, 2025
Haley wrote: “India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.”
Many commenters on Haley’s post criticized what they characterize as more general inconsistencies in the administration’s current sanctions and tariff policies, including one who replied: “US still buys uranium and fertilizer from Russia. But lectures India on oil. If that’s not hypocrisy, what is?”
“India, like America, wants to build, and that will mean that we have to produce more energy. That’s more energy production and more energy consumption. And it’s one of the many reasons why I think our nations have so much to gain by strengthening our energy ties.” – VPOTUS JD… pic.twitter.com/iM5kNDGHey
— U.S. Consulate Mumbai (@USAndMumbai) August 4, 2025
Note: On Monday, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai posted a photo of Vice President JD Vance (above) with a quote: “India, like America, wants to build, and that will mean that we have to produce more energy. That’s more energy production and more energy consumption. And it’s one of the many reasons why I think our nations have so much to gain by strengthening our energy ties. – VPOTUS JD Vance.”