US president Donald Trump again warned India over its purchase of Russian crude, declaring that Washington could impose higher trade tariffs if Delhi did not further curb imports from Moscow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump said the option of punitive duties remained firmly on the table.
“We could raise tariffs on India if they don’t help on the Russian oil issue,” he said.
The US president said India had already taken steps to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies, framing the move as an effort to align with Washington’s expectations.
“They wanted to make me happy, basically,” Mr Trump said. “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
Mr Trump claimed Indian oil purchases from Russia had dropped significantly in recent months. But data from the Indian government showed the imports rose to a six-month high in November 2025, according to The Hindu.
Delhi has consistently defended its energy strategy as critical to ensuring fuel security amid volatile global markets.
Mr Trump’s remarks come at a sensitive moment in US-India relations as officials from the two sides resume negotiations aimed at breaking a prolonged trade deadlock.
The latest warning follows a recent phone conversation between Mr Trump and prime minister Narendra Modi, during which both leaders underscored the need to preserve momentum in bilateral economic ties despite lingering tariff disputes.
The call coincided with a renewed round of trade negotiations disrupted by Mr Trump’s announcement last year of sweeping import tariffs on Indian goods, some as high as 50 per cent.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Mr Trump who was travelling with him, claimed US sanctions and tariff pressure had sharply reduced India’s purchase of Russian oil.
Mr Graham said he was supporting legislation that would allow tariffs of up to 500 per cent on countries like India that continued to buy Russian oil.
“If you are buying cheap Russian oil, you keep Putin’s war machine going,” he said, adding the aim was to give the president “the ability to make that a hard choice by tariffs”.
He said Mr Trump’s actions were the main reason India was now buying “substantially less Russian oil”.
Trade experts, however, cautioned that India’s careful balancing strategy could ultimately undermine its negotiating position.
Ajay Srivastava of the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative told Reuters Delhi’s middle-ground approach was no longer sustainable, urging it to clearly state its stance on Russian oil.
He warned that even a full halt in purchases might not necessarily ease US pressure, which could instead pivot to other trade demands.
Mr Trump’s warning to India also comes as energy politics regain prominence globally following the American military action against Venezuela. The South American nation holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves – estimated at more than 300 billion barrels – but years of US sanctions and underinvestment mean that production is sharply curtailed, now hovering around one million barrels per day.
In October, a diplomatic dispute emerged between the US and India after Mr Trump claimed Mr Modi had promised to stop importing Russian oil, a claim Delhi denied at the time.
Mr Trump had been repeatedly insisting that the call took place and warned that India would face “massive tariffs” if it continued buying Russian crude, while India said at the time that talks were ongoing and that its oil buys served national economic interests.
