Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 6: India strongly condemned the United States’ decision to levy additional tariffs in response to its continued import of Russian oil, describing the move as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable” and reiterated that India would continue to “take all actions necessary to protect national interests.”
In a firmly worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the US had recently “targeted India’s oil imports from Russia” despite New Delhi having articulated its position on the issue. “Our imports are governed by market dynamics and are undertaken with the overarching goal of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indian citizens,” the statement emphasised.
The foreign ministry said the US “has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia.” “We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest.”
“We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,” the statement added in a calm, clear, pushback.
Describing the US action as “deeply regrettable,” the MEA pointed out that several other nations continue to import Russian oil in accordance with their respective national interests. It said singling out India for punitive measures was discriminatory and reiterated that the government would take “all necessary steps to safeguard the country’s national interests.”
The statement came after the US President announced a fresh 25% ad valorem tariff on imports from India citing the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil. The executive order, published on the White House website, stated that India was “currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” and said that it was “necessary and appropriate” to impose punitive duties in response.
The new tariff, which links India’s energy ties with Moscow to its trade relationship with Washington, will take effect 21 days from the date of the order. This comes alongside a separate 25% tariff already set to be enforced from August 7, aimed at reducing the US trade deficit with India.
Earlier in the week, Donald Trump accused India of buying large volumes of discounted Russian crude and reselling it for profit, writing on Truth Social that “they don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine.”