Trump's tariffs on India and US–Russia trade: A double standard? What data reveals
With India's sharp response to Trump's "unjustified" and "unreasonable" tariff, the focus has now shifted to the trade the US itself does with Russia while condemning India for doing it.
India said in a statement on August 4 that the US 'continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride for use in its nuclear power industry, palladium, fertilisers and chemicals'.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also pointed out that the US continues to import uranium, palladium and various other products from Russia.
Notably, both the US and the EU have sharply scaled back their trade ties with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US also banned oil imports from Russia in March 2022.
However, they still import billions of euros worth of Russian energy and commodities, including liquefied natural gas and enriched uranium.
According to the United States Census Bureau, US imports from Russia fell to around $2.50 billion in the first half of 2025 (June 2025) from $14.14 billion four years earlier.
"In May 2025, the US exported $51.4 million and imported $540 million from Russia, resulting in a negative trade balance of $488 million," The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) revealed.
According to the United States Trade Representative, US goods and services trade with Russia totalled an estimated $5.2 billion in 2024 — down 25.8 per cent ($1.8 billion) from 2023.
$3.5 billion: US total goods trade (exports plus imports) with Russia in 2024
$528.3 million: US goods exports to Russia in 2024
$3.0 billion: US goods imports from Russia 2024
$2.4 billion: US goods trade deficit with Russia in 2024
$1.6 billion: US total services trade (exports plus imports) with Russia in 2024
$1.3 billion: US services exports to Russia in 2024
$384 million: US services imports from Russia in 2024
$873 million: US services trade surplus with Russia in 2024 Source: census.gov
According to OEC, in May 2025, the US' main imports from Russia were radioactive chemicals, nitrogenous fertilisers, and platinum ($122M).
Here are key products the US reportedly imported from Russia in 2024, as per OEC data, Trading Economics and other reports:
1. Fertilisers/nitrogenous fertilisers: Fertilisers were the most-imported commodity to the US from Russia in the first 11 months of 2024, as per Statista. Last year, the US imported around $1.27 billion of Russian fertilisers, up slightly from $1.14 billion in 2021.
2. Radioactive chemicals: The US imported enriched uranium and plutonium from Russia worth around $624 million in 2024, down from $646 million in 2021.
3. Palladium: Russia exported palladium to the US for around $878 million in 2024, down from $1.59 billion in 2021, according to Reuters. Source: OEC
Some other products imported by the US from Russia are:
1. Precious stones and metals
4. Wood and articles of wood
5. Nuclear reactors and machinery (HS code 84): $80.81 million
8. Aircraft, spacecraft & parts thereof
10. Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits
The US recently imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian product imports. US President Donald Trump even threatened unspecified penalties against India for buying Russian oil.
India, meanwhile, justified buying Russian oil and said on Wednesday, "...our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India."
Taking a dig at the US and the EU over "unjustified" and "unreasonable" targeting of India, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the "very nations" criticising the country for buying Russian oil are 'themselves indulging in trade with Russia.'
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