India protests additional 25% U.S. tariffs related to Russian oil trade

The ministry acknowledged the tariff hike was caused by India’s reluctance to stop purchasing Russian crude oil, which, in turn, provides the Kremlin with substantial revenues to fund its war against Ukraine.

“The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia,” the statement reads.

“We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India.”

The ministry then described these secondary U.S. sanctions as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”

Earlier on Aug. 6, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% duty on imports from India in response to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. The order stipulates that the new tariffs will take effect in 21 days.

The document also states that the U.S. government will monitor whether other countries buy Russian oil. If such cases are identified, officials may consider imposing an additional 25% tariff on those nations as well.