Foreign Media: India Continues to Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump's Secondary Tariffs

On Saturday, some international media outlets cited statements from Indian government officials saying that despite US President Trump's threat to punish India for buying Russian oil, India will continue to purchase Russian oil.

Trump has actually started taking action. On August 1, he announced a 25% tariff on Indian products, explaining it was related to India's "annoying" trade barriers. Trump had already posted on his "Truth" platform in mid-June that India would face "additional penalties" for purchasing Russian weapons and oil.

Trump hopes India takes his threats seriously and makes changes. On August 1, he told the media that he heard India would no longer buy oil from Russia. However, The New York Times cited two sources from the Indian government on Saturday, stating that India will continue to buy Russian crude oil, undeterred by Trump's heavy tariffs.

The newspaper cited two senior Indian officials who said, "The oil contracts with Russia are long-term contracts and are not so simple to cancel." Officials also stated that the Modi government has not changed its policy. One official said the government "has not instructed oil companies" to reduce imports from Russia.

India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randeep Singh Suri stated at a press conference on Friday, "When it comes to our energy supply needs... we will consider existing resources on the market, available resources, and the current global situation or environment." He also said that India and Russia have a "stable and tested partnership."

Regardless of Trump's threat of "additional tariffs," Trump's announcement of a 25% tariff on India at the beginning of the month came as a surprise to New Delhi. India was almost the first country to rush to Washington for negotiations after Trump announced the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" in early April. In 2024, bilateral trade between India and the United States exceeded $129 billion, making the US India's largest trading partner. The US and India have established strategic cooperation in defense, technology, and other areas, largely due to a shared intention to contain China. Shortly after Trump returned to the White House, Modi visited Washington in February, and the two had a pleasant discussion. Modi stated that both sides hoped to double bilateral trade before 2030 and "soon" reach a trade agreement. In April, US Vice President Vance visited India and called the US-India relationship a "win-win partnership," but this ended up being an unexpected outcome.

All of this is closely related to Trump's change in attitude toward Putin. Trump reduced the ultimatum for Russia to stop the war from 50 days to ten days. If Putin does not stop the war, secondary punitive tariffs will be imposed on Russia. Secondary tariffs target third-party countries or entities that conduct trade with Russia. Currently, the countries that are still purchasing large amounts of Russian crude oil include India and others.

However, the news that came out of India on Saturday was still somewhat surprising. Although India has extensive and deep economic ties with Russia, Western countries, especially the US, view India as part of the Western bloc. Europe and the US can confidently export advanced weapons to India, but China faces restrictions from the "Paris Coordination Committee" when trying to purchase them. Moreover, India has become an important security partner of the US in countering China in recent years, joining the US-led "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue."

Bloomberg commented that India is in a "sweet spot" of geopolitics. On one hand, it has joined the US-led "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" and formed an alliance with the US, Japan, and Australia. On the other hand, it remains a member of the BRICS group and maintains close relations with Russia. This allows Modi to host banquets in the White House and visit Moscow to deepen cooperation with Putin. However, Trump is now breaking this strategic balance.

The question now is, can Trump implement his "additional tariffs" against India if India continues to purchase Russian crude oil? If not, the secondary tariff sanctions against Russia may just be empty words. If yes, the US-India relationship could undergo significant changes.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839394038168587/

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