Trump announces ‘penalty’ tariff on India over purchases of Russian energy resources and weapons

Donald Trump said the United States will impose a 25 percent export tariff on India starting August 1, along with an unspecified “penalty” for the country’s purchases of energy resources and military equipment from Russia. He made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump wrote that the U.S. has “done relatively little business with [India] because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country.”

He also criticized India for buying “a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia” and for being “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.”

“INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST,” Trump added, without providing further details.

In mid-July, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Russia and its trade partners if Moscow failed to reach a ceasefire agreement with Kyiv within 50 days — a deadline he later shortened to 10.