President Donald Trump of the United States has said that India is making money off of Russian oil supplies in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine and has vowed to raise import duties on Indian goods.
Trump accused India of reselling Russian energy for enormous profits while ignoring the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a scathing post on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
He wrote, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,”
“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
Trump’s comments coincided with increased criticism of India’s ongoing energy connections with Russia. India has apparently become one of Moscow’s main oil buyers, having dramatically increased its purchases of cheap Russian petroleum since the conflict began in February 2022.
India has, however, justified its acquisitions, claiming that they were made with its economic stability and energy security in mind.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has previously responded to Western criticism by saying, “We don’t send people out there saying buy Russian oil, we send people out there saying go buy oil. Now, you buy the best oil you can in the market. I don’t think I would attach a political messaging to that. A country like India has to look after its own interests.”
India has also made it clear that it is not the only country that is still doing business with Russia.
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated during India Energy Week earlier this year that “Europe in the same period has bought six times the energy from Russia that India has. But when we do it, there’s a geopolitical narrative.”
