Trump vows to hike tariff on India for buying, reselling Russian oil

US President Donald Trump said Monday he would significantly increase tariffs on India due to its continued purchases of Russian oil, accusing the country of profiting from reselling the fuel on global markets.

"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," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

He added: "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA," without specifying the extent or timeline of the proposed hike.

Trump had previously stated that he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from India and hinted at additional penalties, though he has yet to provide further details.

In response to these remarks, two Indian government officials told Reuters — on condition of anonymity due to the issue’s sensitivity — that India intends to continue importing oil from Russia despite Trump’s warnings.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, has significantly increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude since the start of the Ukraine conflict, often refining and re-exporting the products to global markets.