‘Going to see a lot more': Trump signals ‘secondary sanctions' after hitting India with 50% tariffs over Russian oil import
'It has only been eight hours, so let us see what happens over the next…. You are going to see a lot more. You are going to see so much secondary sanctions,' Trump said during a White House event when asked that Indian officials have stated that there are other countries like China that are buying Russian oil, too.
Flanked by Apple CEO Tim Cook and top administration officials, Trump signed an executive order that adds an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, building on a similar measure announced just last week. The new order, set to take effect on August 27, brings India's total tariff burden to 50 per cent — the highest among US trading partners now penalised for dealing with Russia.
The move drew swift condemnation from New Delhi. In a sharply worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, 'It is extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest.'
The MEA also described the tariffs as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' and warned it would take 'all actions necessary to protect its national interests.'
Trump, however, dismissed claims of selective enforcement when asked why countries such as China and Turkey, which also import large quantities of Russian oil, had not faced equivalent penalties.
'It may happen, I do not know, I cannot tell you yet,' he said. 'We did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China.'
Currently, China faces a 30 per cent tariff and Turkey 15 per cent. India's new 50 per cent rate matches only Brazil, with competitors like Myanmar (40 per cent), Bangladesh (35 per cent), and Vietnam (20 per cent) facing significantly lower tariffs.
When asked on whether the new sanctions might be reversed in the event of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said, 'We will determine that later, but right now, they are paying a 50 per cent tariff.'
In the executive order, Trump justified the move by stating that the Indian government 'is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,' and that this action necessitated the imposition of an additional ad valorem duty.
India, meanwhile, has emphasized that its oil imports are 'based on market factors' and geared toward 'ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people.'
(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)
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