WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump vowed to slam India with crippling new tariffs within 24 hours, citing country’s continued purchases of Russian oil as a direct lifeline to President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
Already imposing 25% tariff on Indian exports to the US, Donald Trump now threatens to “raise that very substantially,” in what he calls a zero-tolerance stand against nations backing Russia economically.
In a statement, Trump said they are fueling the war machine. If they are going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy. The strong move could upend months of painstaking negotiations with New Delhi, which he accused of blocking fair access for American businesses and aligning too closely with the BRICS alliance, a group of emerging economies increasingly seen as a counterweight to Western influence.
In bold ultimatum, Trump issued deadline of August 8 for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or else face a wave of secondary sanctions targeting nations that continue buying Russian energy, including India.
“If oil drops $10 a barrel, Putin will have no choice,” Trump said, adding that his economy stinks and that he can’t keep killing people forever.
Indian officials, caught off guard by the sudden tariff surge, have pushed back strongly calling Trump’s threats as unjustified and dangerous. New Delhi is scrambling to contain the fallout, reportedly considering a boost in US gas imports and a surge in purchases of American tech and gold in a bid to cool tensions.
