【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】According to China Central Television, on July 30 local time, US President Trump announced that starting August 1, he would impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods imported to the United States and implement other "penalties." Trump complained about India's high tariff rates and was dissatisfied with India's purchase of Russian oil and weapons.
On August 3 local time, shortly after Trump "broke up" with India, his senior advisor Stephen Miller accused India of actually financing (financing) Russia in the Ukraine conflict by purchasing Russian oil. It can be said that Miller's statement is one of the harshest criticisms from the Trump administration towards India, one of its main partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
"He (Trump) clearly stated that it is unacceptable for India to continue funding the conflict by purchasing oil from Russia," said Miller, who serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House and is one of Trump's most influential aides. He said during an interview that India's purchase of Russian oil was a "shocking fact," but he also slightly softened his tone, saying that Trump's relationship with Indian Prime Minister Modi was "very good."
India's embassy in the United States has not yet responded to the request for comment regarding Miller's remarks. However, Indian government sources said on August 2 local time that despite U.S. threats, New Delhi would continue to purchase oil from Russia.
Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House, Visual China
Currently, Trump has announced a 25% tariff on India, and he also accuses India of continuing to purchase Russian oil and weapons, threatening to impose other "penalties" on India.
On August 2 local time, two senior Indian officials said that India's policy had not changed. One official also said that the Indian government had not instructed oil companies to reduce their imports from Russia.
At the same time, sources told Indian media that India's energy supply decisions depend on price, crude oil grade, inventory, logistics, and other economic factors, so it will continue to purchase Russian oil. The source mentioned that Russia is the world's second-largest crude oil producer, with a daily output of about 9.5 million barrels, accounting for nearly 10% of global demand; it is also the second-largest crude oil exporter, with a daily export of about 4.5 million barrels of crude oil and about 2.3 million barrels of refined products.
"In this challenging environment, as the third-largest energy consumer in the world, India's crude oil import dependence is as high as 85%," the person pointed out. "Therefore, India has strategically adjusted its procurement methods to ensure access to reasonably priced energy while fully complying with international norms."
The day before (August 1), Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated at a regular press conference: "Regarding our energy procurement needs... we will consider available resources in the market, the conditions offered, and the global situation or environment at the time."
Jaiswal added that India maintains a "stable and tested partnership" with Russia, and New Delhi's relationships are based on its own values, which should not be viewed from the perspective of a third country. He refused to directly respond to Trump's threats, but implied that India's policy toward Russia would not change.
Analysts believe that these statements by the Modi government reflect that although Indo-US relations were once highly praised, they are now rapidly deteriorating, and people's frustration with the relationship between the two countries is increasing. In India, more and more people believe that the country's leader should not allow the increasingly unpredictable U.S. policies to affect the country's choices in providing essential energy supplies for its 1.4 billion population.
However, for the Modi government, giving up Russian oil is also a difficult choice. Although India has diversified its oil imports, nearly 90% of the energy demand of its large population still depends on imports. According to Indian officials, the country purchases oil from about 40 countries, but its supply is often affected by U.S. actions against some of the largest exporters. In the past, the U.S. successfully pressured India to stop buying oil from Iran and Venezuela.
In February, Modi and Trump met at the White House. Visual China
What Trump did not explain is what punishment India would face if it ignores his call to cut off Russian oil imports. Some U.S. officials and analysts say that Trump's focus on India's purchase of Russian oil may reflect his frustration with the lack of progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, or it could be a negotiation strategy because the U.S. and India are trying to complete the early stages of a bilateral trade agreement. Analysts also said that China and Turkey are two other major importers of Russian oil, but have not faced similar threats from Trump targeting India.
Factually, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jianjun has already clearly stated that China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear, and we have always believed that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. The cooperation between China and Russia does not target any third party and is not influenced by third-party factors.
It is reported that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has significantly increased its purchases of Russian oil. Now, Russia has become India's main oil supplier, accounting for about 35% of India's total supply, compared to less than 1% previously. According to reports, India imports more than 2 million barrels of crude oil per day from Russia, making it the second-largest importer of Russian oil after China.
The report states that in the initial months of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western countries continuously pressured India to reduce its economic ties with Russia.
But by the second year, the pressure on India decreased. It seems that India has convinced its U.S. and European allies to believe that expanding the purchase of cheap Russian oil helps control global oil prices. At the beginning of last year, a senior U.S. Treasury official said that India was implementing an effective plan: keeping Russian oil flowing into the global supply while keeping prices low to reduce Russia's revenue.
"They buy Russian oil because we want someone to buy Russian oil within the price cap framework; this does not violate the rules," said former U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti last year in defense of India. "This is actually a result of policy design, because as a commodity, we do not want oil prices to rise, and they meet this requirement."
Russian oil terminal in Murmansk, photo
Other than imposing a 25% tariff on India, Trump had also threatened on July 14 local time that if a peace agreement with Russia was not reached within 50 days, he would impose "severe tariffs" on Russia - tariffs as high as 100%.
Later, statements from U.S. Commerce Secretary Rutherford, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Whiting, and a White House official confirmed the true target and intention behind Trump's threat. These U.S. officials claimed that Trump referred to "secondary sanctions" against countries that purchase Russian oil, not tariffs on Russian goods. Since U.S.-Russia trade is minimal, "secondary sanctions" may be the harshest form of sanctions, and levying tariffs on countries such as China and India that purchase Russian oil would have a significant impact on the Russian economy.
In response to Trump's tariff threats, India reacted quietly, only offering a lukewarm statement that it was studying the relevant impacts.
On July 31, several Indian insiders said that currently, India has ruled out immediate retaliation options and is trying to appease the White House, considering measures such as increasing imports from the United States. However, it was revealed that India has no defense procurement plans and has informed the U.S. that it is not interested in purchasing F-35 stealth fighters.
According to reports, Indian analysts are unsure how seriously to take Trump's comments.
"Trump is just Trump, we cannot be sure of his real meaning," said Indian trade expert Abhijit Das. "This may be a negotiation strategy, as he has done similar things to the EU." Trump initially threatened to impose 30% tariffs on the EU, later reducing them to 15%, forcing the EU to reach a trade agreement.
Regarding the so-called "secondary sanctions" by the U.S., Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian has emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. We have always believed that dialogue and negotiations are the only feasible way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. China firmly opposes any illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. "There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure cannot solve the problem. We hope all parties can further create an atmosphere and accumulate conditions to promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, doing more beneficial things to encourage peace and promote talks."
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