[By Observer Net, Chen Sijia] After the U.S. military attacked Venezuela and kidnapped President Maduro of Venezuela, President Trump was still not satisfied and began to threaten other countries. According to Reuters on January 5, Trump warned India on the 4th that if the Indian government did not reduce its imports of Russian oil as required by the United States, the U.S. might further increase tariffs on India.

Trump said during an interview on Air Force One: "Modi is a good man. He knows I am not happy, and it's important for him to make me happy." When asked about India's oil trade with Russia, Trump threatened: "They do have trade, but we can quickly raise tariffs on them."

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, a close ally of Trump who accompanied him, claimed: "If you buy cheap Russian oil, you are helping Russia's military operations. We are trying through tariffs to give the president the ability to force the other side to make a difficult choice." He supports a bill threatening to impose a 500% tariff on countries that purchase Russian energy.

Graham claimed that the U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies and the additional tariffs on India "pushed" India to reduce its import of Russian oil, stating that "Trump's actions are the main reason for India's current reduction in purchasing Russian oil."

The report stated that the Indian Ministry of Commerce has not yet responded to Trump's remarks. However, Trump's latest tariff threats have caused concerns in the Indian market. The NIFTY IT index fell by 2.5% after opening on January 5, as investors worried that tense trade relations might hinder India's trade agreement with the United States.

On January 4 local time, Trump gave an interview on Air Force One IC photo

On July 31 last year, Trump signed an executive order announcing that the U.S. would start imposing a 25% tariff on Indian goods exported to the U.S. from August 7. On August 6, Trump signed another executive order, citing India's purchase of Russian energy "directly or indirectly," and imposed an additional 25% tariff on it, which will take effect starting August 27 local time.

India and the U.S. have held multiple rounds of trade negotiations, but no progress has been made. India has been unwilling to make concessions on issues such as opening up the agricultural market, and there are differences between India and the U.S. on stopping the purchase of Russian oil.

The Hindu newspaper reported that data from the Indian government showed that Indian oil importers reduced their imports of Russian oil from June to October 2025. However, in November 2025, India imported 7.7 million tons of oil from Russia, an increase of nearly 7% compared to the previous year, reaching the highest level since May 2025, accounting for 35.1% of the total oil imports for that month.

Nevertheless, to balance trade relations with the U.S., India has also increased its imports of American oil. Data shows that in November 2025, India's oil imports from the U.S. reached the highest point in seven months, close to 2.8 million tons, accounting for 12.6% of the total oil imports for that month. The Indian government has asked refineries to disclose weekly purchases of Russian and American oil to respond to the U.S.'s "concerns."

After the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro, the Indian government made a "cautious" statement, only calling for "all relevant parties to resolve the issue through dialogue and ensure peace and stability in the region," without mentioning the U.S.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Indian think tank "Global Trade Research Initiative," pointed out that Indian refineries have never stopped importing Russian oil, putting India in a "strategic gray area." He believes that the Indian government's "ambiguous strategy" is no longer effective, and India now needs to clarify its position on Russian oil, as a "cautious" stance may only weaken India's position in negotiations.

Srivastava admitted that even if India completely stops importing Russian oil, the U.S. may continue to pressure India, shifting the focus to other trade demands, and higher tariffs could lead to more severe export losses for India.

Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said on December 22 that India and the U.S. had entered the "late stage" of trade negotiations. But he emphasized that the trade agreement must be mutually beneficial, stating that "only when both sides benefit, the agreement will be established."

Data released by the Indian government shows that in November 2025, India's exports to the U.S. grew by more than 22%, reaching $6.98 billion. However, analysts warn that these figures may not be as strong as they seem. Srivastava analyzed for Nikkei Asia that the growth in exports to the U.S. may be driven by goods with tariff exemptions or less affected, such as smartphones, medicines, and petroleum products.

Srivastava said that the Indian government's top priority should be to seek the cancellation of the 25% tariff related to Russian oil by the U.S., and then discuss a broader trade agreement. He pointed out that reducing this tariff would help ease the pressure on India's labor-intensive industries such as jewelry, textiles, and leather, placing India-U.S. trade negotiations on a "more balanced basis."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7591896534803956276/

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