'Important to make me happy': Trump's fresh tariff warning to India

Donald Trump claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew he was not happy about India's purchase of Russian oil, saying the US could further raise tariffs 'very quickly'

US President Donald Trump has renewed pressure on India over its purchase of Russian oil, warning that tariffs could be raised if New Delhi does not cooperate on the Russia issue.

 

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi while highlighting the leverage Washington holds through trade. "They wanted to make me happy, basically. PM Modi is a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly, and it’ll be very bad for them," Trump said.

 

Trump intensifies pressure on India

In October last year, Trump had claimed that PM Modi assured him India would stop buying oil from Russia, describing the move as "a big step" in Washington’s efforts to isolate Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

 

However, India maintained that its priority was to protect domestic consumers while continuing energy cooperation with multiple partners. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.”

US-India trade tensions

The US has been stepping up pressure on India to cut Russian oil imports. In August last year, the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods, which included a 25 per cent penalty linked to the purchase of Russian crude.

 

While India and the US have continued trade discussions, no agreement has been finalised so far. New Delhi has maintained that its decisions will be guided by national interest.

India ramps up US oil imports

In October last year, India significantly increased its crude oil imports from the US to around 540,000 barrels per day, the highest level since 2022, according to data from Kpler.

 

India has also been closely monitoring the inflow of Russian crude. According to Reuters, the government has asked refiners to submit weekly disclosures of Russian and US oil purchases. Officials indicated that Russian crude imports are expected to fall below one million barrels per day as New Delhi seeks to secure a trade deal with Washington.