Hope we can fix it, says Rubio on US tariffs on India for Russian oil buy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told an American media outlet on Tuesday evening (IST) that ‘a lot of progress’ was made during his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the subject of New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil. However, a few hours later, US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that China and India are the ‘primary funders’ of the Russian war in Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

 

In his interview to a news channel, Rubio said that the Trump administration hopes it can ‘fix’ the ‘measures’ it has imposed on India for buying Russian oil, and urged the European countries to impose similar sanctions, something that Trump also advocated in his UNGA address.

 

The White House has imposed a cumulative 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent penalty for New Delhi buying Russian oil.

 

“I think it’s important for Europe to impose sanctions, too. Right now, there are countries in Europe that are still buying massive amounts of oil and natural gas from Russia, which is absurd. I mean, they’re asking for the US to impose more sanctions, but there are countries in Europe that are not doing enough,” Rubio said.

 

“So, I think they need to do more. We’ve already seen the measures we’ve taken with regards to India, although that’s something we hope we can fix... and the President has the ability to do more, and he’s considering doing more because of the direction this has taken,” Rubio said.

 

Jaishankar met Rubio on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York on Monday evening. Rubio did not mention if the Indian delegation flagged the Trump administration’s H-1B visa $100,000 fee, but sources in New Delhi said that the Indian side brought up the issue, which has become the latest stress point in the India-US ties. Apart from Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is also in the US.

 

Rubio also repeated the claim that Trump had ended the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. “And look what the President’s done and the wars he’s brought about to an end – Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan,” he said.

 

In his UNGA address, Trump said he has resolved ‘seven wars’, but did not specifically mention the India-Pakistan military conflict.

 

On Tuesday morning, in US State Department readout about his Monday evening meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio said that “India is a relationship of critical importance to the US”. He voiced ‘appreciation’ for New Delhi’s continued engagement on bilateral issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals, related to the bilateral relationship.

 

In the evening, Rubio told ABC News’ ‘Good Morning America’ programme, “We had meetings with them (Indian delegation) again yesterday (Monday), and it has to do with their purchase of Russian oil.” In his interview, Rubio alluded to Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill proposing punitive tariffs on India and China for buying Russian oil. He also said the White House has nudged the European countries to cut down their purchases of Russian gas.

 

Addressing the UNGA, Trump urged Nato countries to stop buying Russian gas and asked European countries to adopt the same measures as his country has done, that is to impose tariffs on goods produced by countries buying Russian oil.

 

According to the US State Department readout, Rubio and Jaishankar agreed that the US and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad, the statement said.

 

In a post on X late Monday evening, Jaishankar said it was ‘good to meet’ Rubio in New York. “Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. (We) agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch,” Jaishankar said about his almost an hour-long meeting with Rubio. The two had last met in July in Washington DC on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

 

On Monday, Jaishankar also met European Union Foreign Ministers at their informal meeting. US Ambassador nominee to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor also met Jaishankar. “They look forward to further promoting the success of the US-India relationship,” the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said.

 

Jaishankar met the Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Theresa P Lazaro, and they discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region and in the domains of defence and security, including maritime security.