We will increase the fees on India “significantly” due to Russian oil purchases

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will raise customs duties on India significantly because of its purchases of Russian oil.

“India not only buys huge quantities of Russian oil, but also sells a large part of it in the open market to achieve huge profits. The number of people who are killed in Ukraine at the hands of the Russian war machine is not interested in,” Trump added in a post on Truth Social.

“For this reason, I will greatly raise the customs duties that India pays to the United States.”

Trump had said last week that he would impose 25% customs duties on goods imported from India, noting that the fifth largest economy in the world would also face an unnoticed penalty.

Two Indian government sources said earlier to Reuters that India will continue to buy oil from Russia despite Trump’s threats.

India has become one of the most important Russian oil buyers in the world, due to the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow, which forced the Russians to provide price discounts for those who do not adhere to these sanctions, which made India the largest beneficiaries of these conditions and the largest beneficiaries of the war on Ukraine, as well as it has become the largest and most important customers who buy Russian oil.

A previous report published by the American newspaper “The New York Times” says that India is a major buyer and a clear purchase of Russian energy since the conquest of Ukraine three years ago, as most Western countries have reduced its purchases or stopped buying completely, while India has raised these purchases benefiting from Russian discounts.

The attempts led by the United States and Europe to inflict financial damage to Russia and punish its president, Vladimir Putin, led to low oil prices, while India saw an opportunity to take advantage of it.