Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) launched a sharp critique of the Trump administration’s trade strategy on Wednesday, alleging ‘unfair play’ in how the White House penalises allies over energy ties to Russia. The senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee claimed that the administration is “grasping for excuses” to maintain high tariffs on India, even when other nations with far deeper dependencies on Russian oil remain untouched by similar trade penalties.

‘India being singled out’

The focus of the dispute is a 25% “penalty” tariff the Trump administration has used to pressure India to cut its energy ties with Russia. Sherman argued that focusing on India, which gets only 21% of its crude oil from Russia, is unfair when compared to other nations. In a scathing post on X, “President Trump is grasping for excuses to slap outrageous tariffs on India.” He continued, “He [Trump] claims it’s about importing Russian oil — yet Hungary imports 90% of its crude from Russia with no tariffs. And China, Russia’s biggest oil buyer, hasn’t been hit with sanctions tied to purchasing Russian oil, though it has been hit for other reasons. India gets just 21% of its crude from Russia, but our ally is being singled out. The President should reverse this policy immediately.”

ALSO READ

Russia rejects US claims about India

Sherman’s comments come as Russia strongly denied that India planned to cut back on Russian oil imports. Pushing back against Washington’s claim that New Delhi had agreed to stop importing Russian crude, Russia’s foreign ministry said it has “no reason” to believe that is true.

“We have no reason to believe that India has changed its position on buying Russian hydrocarbons. India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons benefits both countries and helps maintain stability in the international energy market,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during her weekly briefing.

Zakharova also added, “There is nothing new in the claims of US President Donald Trump, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have grabbed the right to dictate to independent nations.”

ALSO READ

Earlier this month, the White House announced a temporary trade deal that would reduce the stacked 50% tariff on Indian goods to 18%. As part of this deal, the US claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop importing Russian oil entirely and instead buy energy from the US and Venezuela.

However, India has not confirmed this publicly. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently emphasised India’s commitment to “strategic autonomy” during the Munich Security Conference.

Ex-US diplomat warns against pressuring India on Russia

Just a day earlier, former US diplomat Lindsey Ford had cautioned Washington not to push India to cut its ties with Russia. She said that applying too much pressure could actually weaken the India–US partnership instead of strengthening it.

Speaking at a US congressional commission, Ford, who once served as a top South Asia official under President Joe Biden, stressed that the US must recognize India’s long-standing reliance on Russian defense equipment. “America needs to understand that if we ask India to diversify away from Russia, it will create a real vulnerability for India. If America does not step up to provide things militarily, we should have no expectation that India will walk away from Russia,” Ford said.

Ford also highlighted that tensions over the past year have raised doubts in India about how reliable the US really is. “There has long been a debate in India about how much it could rely on America. The last year has amplified those voices who always argued that the US was a bad bet for India,” she said.