President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will double tariffs on India in 21 days if the country continues importing oil from Russia.
In a formal White House proclamation, Trump said India’s refusal to cut off Russian energy purchases during the war in Ukraine has forced the U.S. to take economic action.
“I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” Trump wrote. “Accordingly… articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent.”
This would raise the total tariff rate on Indian imports from 25% to 50%.
India Among Russia’s Top Energy Buyers
According to Reuters, India has been importing roughly 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian crude between January and June of this year, making it one of the Kremlin’s biggest oil customers.
Trump imposed an initial 25% tariff on India on July 30, warning that the U.S. would not tolerate a key trade partner propping up Russia while refusing to cooperate on global security efforts.