‘Tariffing India won't stop Putin': Democrats rip into Trump's tariff move; urge military aid for Ukraine
Democrats on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee have sharply criticised the Trump administration's warning of higher tariffs on India if talks with Russian President
Vladimir Putin
fail to produce results.
Responding on social media platform X to comments by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, the Committee wrote: 'Tariffing India won't stop Putin. If Trump really wanted to address Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, maybe punish Putin and give Ukraine the military aid it needs. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.'
The remarks came after Bessent told Bloomberg TV that Washington could raise 'secondary tariffs' on Indian imports if the upcoming Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska did not go well.
'We put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see if things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,' he said.
India currently faces a 50% tariff on exports to the US, comprising a 25% baseline tariff and an additional 25% duty linked to its crude oil trade with Russia. The secondary tariff is due to take effect on 27 August.
According to US officials, the move is intended to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
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India and China are the largest buyers of Russian crude.
Bessent added that sanctions on Russia could be either tightened or eased depending on the outcome of Friday's meeting between President Donald Trump and President Putin. He also urged European nations to match US measures. 'The Europeans need to join us in these sanctions. It's put up or shut up time,' he said, lamenting what he described as a lukewarm response from G7 partners earlier this year.
Trump has argued that India's purchases of discounted Russian oil are 'fuelling the war machine' in Ukraine, adding that losing such a key customer could severely hit Moscow.
The three-hour Alaska talks ended without a peace deal, but both leaders described them as 'productive'. Trump said he would consult Nato leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before deciding on further measures.
In a Fox News interview after the talks, he suggested the meeting had eased immediate pressure for more tariffs.
'Well, because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that. Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now. I think, you know, the meeting went very well,' he said.
India has strongly opposed the tariffs, with the ministry of external affairs calling the US move 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable'. It said oil imports are driven by market needs and aimed at ensuring energy security for 1.4 billion people, adding that New Delhi will take all steps to safeguard its interests.
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