Donald Trump threatens India, says tariffs may increase further if…, PM Modi now likely to…

On Monday, Donald Trump said that if New Delhi's stance on the purchase of Russian oil does not align with that of the United States, tariffs on Indian imports could be increased.

Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Published: January 5, 2026, 9:05 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/world/donald-trump-india-united-states-russia-tariff-russian-oil-narendra-modi-new-delhi-white-house-vladimir-putin-ukraine-war-8256032/ Copy

Washington: US President Donald Trump has once again put pressure on India over the issue of buying from Russia. On Monday, Donald Trump said that if New Delhi’s stance on the purchase of Russian oil does not align with that of the United States, tariffs on Indian imports could be increased. Notably, the Trump administration had imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods in August last year.

According to Reuters, Donald Trump, while mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech, said, “He is a good person. He knows that America and I are not happy. It was necessary to keep me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It is clear that if they do not help us on the Russian oil issue, we can raise tariffs on India.”

Donald Trump’s Contradictory Claims

It is important to note that Donald Trump’s statement on tariff comes at a time when the trade negotiations between India and the United States are on. To recall, Donald Trump had earlier claimed that PM Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil and that India was no longer purchasing it. However, India had rejected this claim.

The US administration has been trying to put pressure on India over the issue of Russian oil since the beginning of last year. However, the attempts to pressurize India failed miserably. Trump’s stance has also had an impact on India–US relations. A trade deal between the two countries has been stuck for a long time.

Here are some of the key details:

• Russia is a reliable partner and one of the key countries supplying oil for India.
• India gets cheaper oil from Russia, which benefits it economically.
• Trump, on the other hand, says that Russia is selling oil to fund the war in Ukraine.
• In such a situation, countries like India and China should stop buying Russian oil.
• Donald Trump had said after assuming the presidency in January last year that he would stop the Ukraine war.
• He has failed to do so and is venting his anger on countries like India and China.
• Trump has tried to pressure India by imposing heavy tariffs, but India has made it clear that it will continue purchasing oil based on its economic interests.