On August 4, 2025, local time, US President Trump once again announced that he would significantly increase tariffs on Indian goods to protest India's purchase of Russian oil. Trump stated that he was prepared to impose substantial tariffs on India, citing the reason that India is buying a large amount of Russian oil and reselling it to the West at high prices, thereby making significant profits from the price difference. As a result, on August 5, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in response to Trump, stating that in 2024, the bilateral trade volume between the EU and Russia and the volume of natural gas imports reached new highs. The United States itself also imports products such as hexafluoride uranium, palladium, fertilizers, and chemicals from Russia. The Russian oil imported by India is stable in terms of domestic energy costs in India, which is a necessity for Indian society. Therefore, the United States, Europe, and the West have no right to accuse India of importing Russian oil. India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security. This is not the fault of India pushing back against Trump; just in terms of uranium alone, the United States pays Russia approximately $1 billion annually. US President Trump does not want India to act as a middleman anymore, but this would cut off India's materials, and the Indian authorities are not willing to accept it.
Trump is very bothered by India doing middleman business and making a lot of money. After all, if there is an Indian middleman, the US cannot make money, and it is likely that he thinks India is stealing business. It can only be said that these days, India is repeatedly changing sides, and the benefits it tries to obtain are not much. Usually, people may think that supporting it could help counter China, but now that everyone is poor, with Trump being so penny-pinching, he wants to take back past benefits.
Trump will not and dare not sanction India, but he only wants to scare India. India buys Russian oil and still resells it to Europe and the US. It is obvious that India will not give up its traditional diplomatic stance or cut off relations with Russia because of tariff threats. If the US imposes sanctions, India indeed has no ability to retaliate against the US, but Trump made a mistake in that India is a major power, and by threatening India in front of the whole world, how can Modi step back? India is a country that highly values face, and Modi cannot kneel down due to opposition and domestic public opinion. This kind of thing might be different if pressured in private. However, Trump's actions will only push India to be more friendly towards China.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839579628352512/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.