Trump Imposes Tariffs on India to Pressure Russia

Trump Imposes Tariffs on India to Pressure Russia

Last Updated Aug - 20 - 2025, 05:40 PM | Source : Fela News

The White House says President Trump imposed steep tariffs on India doubling to 50% to exert indirect pressure on Russia and push for peace in the Ukraine war.

In a bold geopolitical play, the White House confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions on India in the form of exorbitant tariffs to indirectly pressure Russia into ending the Ukraine conflict.

According to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, these tariffs serve as strategic "secondary pressure" on Moscow, with the hope that economic repercussions through India will prompt Russian President Putin to seek peace. The levy has now doubled to a staggering 50%, with an additional 25% imposed on top of an already existing 25% tariff on Indian goods.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized India’s purchases of Russian oil, labelling them as "profiteering." He claims that India, which now relies on Russian crude for about 42% of its imports up from below 1% has made $16 billion in excess profits by reselling refined products.

Adding references, experts have warned that this tariff strategy can be part of a change in the widespread diplomacy of the US, where the trade policy has been forced into a trade policy instead of traditional diplomacy - which can weaken the US -India relations in a long time.

On the other hand, India has strongly defended its energy decisions, describing it as necessary for national security, as well as criticizing the US, saying that it has taken selected punitive steps and behaved unfairly, while similar business activities are being ignored in other places. All this is happening in the background where the relationship between warm -filled Trump and Prime Minister Modi is now deteriorating - a friendship that was once defined by public harmony, is now in the shadow of business tension and strategic differences.

Actually, it is not just a tariff; This is a global strategy, alliances and the test of the question whether business can be made weapons to establish peace. Both the nation and the market are breathing and waiting for it.

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