Trump says India ‘not a good trading partner’, plans tariff hike above 25 per cent within 24 hours

August 5, 2025 by News Desk

US President Donald Trump has said he plans to raise tariffs on India within the next 24 hours, citing concerns over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and what he described as an imbalanced trade relationship.

In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Trump criticized India as “not a good trading partner,” claiming that while India does “a lot of business” with the US, the reverse is not true. “So we settled on 25 percent, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil,” he said.

He further claimed that India imposes some of the highest tariffs in the world and that the US does “very little business” with the country. Trump also directly linked India’s energy trade with Russia to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, accusing India of enabling Moscow’s military campaign.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump posted on Monday: “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

The Trump administration has indicated that India’s crude oil imports from Russia have become a sticking point in ongoing trade negotiations. Officials have accused New Delhi of “financing” Russia’s war in Ukraine through its energy purchases.

Just days ago, Trump had claimed that the US was close to finalizing a trade agreement with India. However, talks reportedly stalled over key issues including agriculture, dairy, and genetically modified crops, with India resisting pressure to open these sectors.

The current tariff rate of 25% is scheduled to take effect from August 7, 2025, but Trump’s remarks suggest that additional penalties may be imposed imminently, particularly in response to India’s oil and defense trade with Russia.