New Delhi: U.S. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on many Indian goods by 25 percent, adding to the earlier 25 percent tariffs, making it a total of 50 percent on several products. Officially, these tariffs were announced as a response to India’s continued imports of Russian oil, which the U.S. claims supports Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
However, according to geostrategist Brahma Chellaney, this claim is contradicted by how the tariffs have been applied in reality. Chellaney pointed out on X (Formerly Twitter):
“Another sign that Trump’s punitive tariffs on India have little to do with Russian oil and everything to do with forcing a one-sided trade deal is this: Indian refined fuels like gasoline and diesel remain exempt from the latest 25 percent tariff hike. In other words, while claiming to punish India over Russian oil, Trump has hit Indian non-energy exports to the U.S. with steep tariffs — but spared the booming exports of fuel made from Russian crude. Many will see this as the height of hypocrisy.” — Brahma Chellaney
This selective exemption shows that while the tariffs are positioned as a punishment for buying Russian oil, the booming Indian fuel exports that come from Russian crude are actually spared. It suggests that Trump’s real goal may be to pressure India into accepting a trade deal heavily skewed in America’s favor rather than strictly targeting Russian oil imports.
India has strongly criticized these tariffs as unfair and a barrier to trade. Many experts agree the tariffs are more about economic leverage than addressing geopolitical issues, and India remains unlikely to stop Russian oil imports given their strategic and economic importance.