Trump Was Asked Why He's Singling Out India Over Russia Trade. His Reply

US President Donald Trump warned of new "secondary sanctions" for Moscow's trading partners when he was asked why India was being "singled out" for its business ties with Russia, leaving other nations that have been buying Russian energy. Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order subjecting Indian imports to an additional 25 per cent tariffs on top of an existing 25 per cent in duties, due to its big purchases of Russian oil.

When a journalist asked him why he was singling India out for these additional sanctions from other countries, like China, that also buy Russian oil, Trump said, "It's only been 8 hours. So let's see what happens. You're going to see a lot more...You're going to see so many secondary sanctions."

#WATCH | On being asked, 'Indian officials have said that there are other countries that are buying Russian oil, like China, for instance. Why are you singling India out for these additional sanctions', US President Donald Trump says, "It's only been 8 hours. So let's see what… pic.twitter.com/YRNbR06ne8

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2025

While India has emerged as a key partner for Washington in its strategic rivalry with China in recent years, its large US trade surplus and close relations with Russia-- which Trump is seeking to pressure into agreeing to a peace agreement with Ukraine-- have made New Delhi a prime target in the Republican president's global tariff offensive.

His taunt that India could buy oil from arch enemy Pakistan has also not gone down well in New Delhi. In an unusually sharp statement this week, India accused the US of double standards for being singled out for Russian oil imports while US itself continues to buy Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium and fertiliser. 

On Wednesday, New Delhi called the tariffs "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," vowing to "take all actions necessary to protect its national interests."

What's At Stake

But analysts say Trump's recent moves threaten to undo two decades of diplomatic progress between Washington and New Delhi and could derail other areas of cooperation as domestic political pressures drive both sides to harden their stances.

"India is now in a trap: because of Trump's pressure, Modi will reduce India's oil purchases from Russia, but he cannot publicly admit to doing so for fear of looking like he's surrendering to Trump's blackmail," Ashley Tellis at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told news agency Reuters.

"We could be heading into a needless crisis that unravels a quarter century of hard-won gains with India," she added.

Relations with India risk becoming a "football in American domestic politics," warned Evan Feigenbaum, a former senior State Department official under the Republican presidency of George W. Bush.

"Issues that directly touch India are among the most partisan and explosive in Washington, including immigration and deportation, H1B visas for tech workers, offshoring and overseas manufacturing by U.S. companies, and technology sharing and co-innovation with foreigners," he wrote in a LinkedIn post.