President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order raising tariffs on India to 50% over New Delhi’s import of Russian oil, a step he took right after his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The president said that the tariffs on India would go into effect on August 27 and that other countries could face similar measures if they continue purchasing Russian oil. The move comes ahead of the August 8 deadline Trump set for Russia to end the war in Ukraine or face sanctions and “secondary tariffs” on its trading partners.
After imposing the tariffs, Trump also said “great progress” was made in the Witkoff-Putin meeting. “My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president added.
The Russian side also said that the Trump-Witkoff meeting, which lasted three hours, went well, though there’s no sign any real progress was made toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, and US officials say more “secondary sanctions” will be imposed on Friday. Moscow has also made clear that the threat of the US imposing tariffs on its trading partners would not impact its military operations in Ukraine.
In response to the tariffs, which came after Trump first announced a 25% tariff, the Indian Foreign Ministry said that it was “extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest.”
Indian officials have previously said New Delhi would continue buying Russian oil despite the pressure from the US. The Foreign Ministry said that the US actions were “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable” and that New Delhi would “take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”
