Before his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested the US may not move ahead with secondary tariffs on countries continuing to buy Russian crude, a measure that had decreased India’s trade competitiveness and raised concerns.
“Well, he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) lost an oil client, so to speak, which is India, which was doing about 40 per cent of the oil. China, as you know, is doing a lot…And if I did what’s called a secondary sanction, or a secondary tariff, it would be very devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I’ll do it. Maybe I won’t have to do it,” Trump said Friday in an interview with Fox News aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska for his summit with Putin.
.@BretBaier: Would you sense that Putin comes to this table maybe in an economic pinch?@POTUS: “If I did what’s called a secondary sanction or a secondary tariff, it would be very devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I’ll do it. Maybe I won’t have to do it.” pic.twitter.com/EfqX4rewdS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 15, 2025
The meeting ended without an agreement on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had earlier warned that if “things don’t go well” at the summit, Washington could escalate secondary tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil. “Sanctions can go up, they can be loosened. They can have a definitive life. They can go on indefinitely,” he told Bloomberg.
Trump has already imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent on Delhi’s Russian oil imports, effective August 27. Trump, before meeting Putin, had suggested that his tariffs on India “essentially took them out of buying oil from Russia,” and “probably” played a role in bringing Moscow to the negotiating table.
India has called the targeting “unjustified and unreasonable,” with the Ministry of External Affairs saying it will “take all necessary measures to safeguard national interests and economic security.”
New Delhi on Saturday “welcomed” the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska and “appreciated the progress made”.
“India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable… India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine,” MEA’s official spokesperson said.
(With Inputs from PTI)
