New Delhi, Jan 27: The Trump administration has leveled sharp criticism against European nations for indirectly supporting the Russia-Ukraine conflict through their energy trade with India. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that while Washington has imposed heavy tariffs on New Delhi to curb its reliance on Russian crude, Europe continues to purchase refined oil products originating from those same Russian sources.
These remarks arrive just as India and the European Union prepare to finalize a comprehensive free trade agreement. Bessent argued that the flow of energy creates a cycle where European capital essentially supports the very conflict they seek to end.
“And just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves,” Bessent told ABC News on Sunday.
The Treasury Secretary defended the decision to maintain a 25 percent levy on Indian imports, a move designed to penalize the trade of Russian crude. He stated that the United States has shouldered a significant portion of the global economic burden by decoupling from Russian energy, a move he suggests Europe has failed to match consistently.
“We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India,” Bessent said.
Despite the current friction, the Treasury Secretary indicated that the administration’s strategy might be yielding results. Speaking recently at the World Economic Forum, he mentioned that the volume of Russian crude entering Indian refineries has seen a notable downturn.
“Indian purchases by their refineries of Russian oil have collapsed. So that is a success. The tariffs are still on, 25 per cent tariffs for Russian oil are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off,” Bessent stated.
The ongoing trade dispute remains a central point of tension as the EU and India move forward with their 2007-era trade negotiations. Under the current US administration, duties on certain Indian goods have reached as high as 50 percent, reflecting a firm stance on global supply chain accountability.
