WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 — U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Friday that Washington may hold back from imposing additional secondary tariffs on countries continuing to import Russian crude oil, a move that could ease pressure on India, one of Moscow’s key buyers.
“Well, he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] lost an oil client, so to speak, which is India, which was doing about 40 percent of the oil. China, as you know, is doing a lot,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News aboard Air Force One. “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.”
The remarks came after Trump met with Putin at a summit in Alaska, which concluded without any agreement on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had hinted that sanctions on India could intensify if talks between Trump and Putin failed. “We put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, if things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” Bessent told Bloomberg. He noted that sanctions “can go up, they can be loosened. They can have a definitive life. They can go on indefinitely.”
Currently, India faces tariffs totaling 50 percent on its trade with the U.S., including a 25 percent levy linked to purchases of Russian oil. These duties are set to take effect on Aug. 27.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has strongly objected, calling the measures unfair. “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the ministry said in a statement.
Trump’s mixed signals leave uncertainty for New Delhi, which has significantly increased imports of Russian crude since the war began, balancing strategic energy needs with pressure from the West.
