Washington D.C. | August 12, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has described his decision to impose 50% tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil as a “big blow” to Moscow, marking another pointed attack on Russia’s economy just days after calling it “dead.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said the measure was part of a broader strategy to pressure Russia’s energy exports. “We are a nuclear nation. If we believe we are going down, we will take half the world down with us,” he remarked during a private dinner in Florida, while hinting that he was prepared to take “far bigger” steps before agreeing to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for August 15 in Alaska.
“They’re [Russia’s] economy is not doing well right now because it’s been very well disturbed by this. It doesn’t help when the President of the United States tells their largest or second-largest oil buyer that we are putting a 50 percent tariff on you if you buy oil from Russia. That was a big blow,” Trump said.
When asked about the purpose of the upcoming meeting with Putin, Trump replied, “I was all set to do things far bigger than that, but I got a call that they’d like to meet, and I’m going to see what they want to meet about.”
US-India Trade Frictions Deepen
The 50% tariff announcement follows Trump’s earlier imposition of 25% duties on Indian goods, with an additional 25% added later in retaliation for New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Notably, no such tariff hikes were announced against China, the largest buyer of Russian oil.
India responded strongly, calling the measures “unjustified and unreasonable” and accusing Washington and the EU of hypocrisy over their ongoing economic ties with Moscow. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted that the U.S. continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear sector.
When questioned about India’s reaction, Trump sidestepped the issue: “I don’t know anything about it. I have to check… But we will get back to you on this.” He later confirmed that trade negotiations with India would remain suspended until the matter of its energy relations with Moscow is “resolved.”
“No, not until we get it resolved,” Trump said when asked whether he expected progress on trade talks after the 50% tariff hike.
Alaska Summit Outlook
The upcoming Alaska meeting is expected to cover a range of topics, with Trump signalling his interest in ending the Ukraine war, while Putin reportedly seeks a strategic repositioning of Russia amid ongoing Western sanctions. According to the Pakistani military, Munir’s U.S. visit has been positioned as “a new dimension” in bilateral relations — underscoring the geopolitical complexity surrounding U.S.-Russia-India dynamics.
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