Washington: US President Donald Trump has asserted that steep American tariffs on India’s imports of Russian oil have significantly hurt Moscow’s economy, which he described as struggling under mounting global pressure. Speaking at the White House, Trump said the combined 50% tariff — 25% reciprocal duties on India and an additional 25% levy on Russian oil purchases — has been a major setback for Russia.
“Russia has tremendous potential, but they’re not doing well right now. Their economy has been greatly disturbed. And it doesn’t help when the President of the United States tells one of their biggest oil buyers we’re putting a 50% tariff on them if they buy from Russia. That was a big blow,” Trump said, in reference to India.
The comments came days after Trump controversially labelled the economies of both India and Russia as “dead.” He claimed the tariffs not only boosted US revenue but also gave Washington leverage to “solve” five wars, including tensions between India and Pakistan and the decades-long Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
“The tariffs give us money and great power over enemies. We got some of the toughest conflicts resolved — Pakistan and India, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which raged for 37 years. Russia tried to solve it, others tried, but we got it done,” Trump said.
On whether US-Russia trade relations could return to normal, Trump said it was possible if Moscow abandoned its “path of war.” He suggested Russia should focus on business rather than conflict, praising its resilience in wars but urging a shift toward economic development.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said he plans to meet President Vladimir Putin soon, adding, “Within the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether a deal can be made.”
