New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his administration imposed secondary sanctions on India for continuing to purchase oil from Russia, marking a serious turn in Indo-US relations. Speaking during a bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office, Trump warned that further punitive measures, described as “phase two” and “phase three” sanctions, remained on the table.
Trump, visibly irritated when questioned by a Polish reporter about his approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushed back strongly.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, they’re almost equal. Would you say there was no action? That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three. But when you say there’s no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” Trump retorted.
He went on to state that his administration had issued a stark warning to India weeks ago. “Two weeks ago, I said, if India buys, India’s got big problems, and that’s what happens. So, don’t tell me about that,” he added.
The Trump administration has imposed a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, along with an additional 25 per cent levy directly tied to New Delhi’s ongoing oil trade with Moscow. These tariffs, which came into effect on 27 August, have effectively doubled duties on Indian exports to the US, raising the total to a steep 50 per cent.
In response to a separate question about a recent show of unity among Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade in Beijing, and whether further sanctions on Moscow were being considered, Trump reiterated that the measures against India were already targeting Russia.
“Well, I’ve already done that with regard to India, and we’re doing it with regard to other things,” he said.
Trump’s confrontational stance towards India is not a recent development. Throughout his political career, he has consistently argued that the United States has been taken advantage of by trading partners, citing India’s historically high tariffs on American goods.
Just a day earlier, Trump had said, “We get along with India very well, but for many years, it was a one-sided relationship. Only now, since I came along and because of the power that we have with us, India was charging us tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world, and we therefore weren’t doing much business with India.”
Speaking on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump repeated his familiar criticism. “India was the most highly tariffed nation in the world, and you know what, they’ve offered me no tariffs in India anymore. No tariffs,” he claimed.
India Pushes Back
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded firmly to the US pressure, underscoring India’s strategic autonomy and domestic priorities.
“Pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it,” PM Modi said.
Indian officials maintain that energy imports are guided strictly by affordability and supply reliability, rather than geopolitical considerations. They have also warned that the newly imposed tariffs from Washington risk damaging a key strategic partnership.