US President has issued yet another tariff threat for India, according to a Reuters report. On Monday, the American leader hinted at raising duties on the South Asian country even beyond the existing 50% mark due to its continued association with the “Russian oil issue.”
Trump raising India tariffs again? What he said
“We could raise tariffs on India if they don’t help on Russian oil issue,” Reuters quoted the US president. According to an audio shared by the White House, he was also heard name-dropping Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while chatting with press on the presidential aircraft, Air Force One.
The official ‘Audio Only’ clip titled “President Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One, Jan 4, 2026,” catches the POTUS saying, “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly…”
His comments foregrounding his current stance on India’s Russian oil imports come after the the United States’ overnight military operation against Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Several US lawmakers have been openly critical of Trump’s tariffs on India, blaming the hefty duties for the strained ties with the South Asian nation amid ongoing trade deal negotiations. In 2025, the POTUS hit India with 50% tariffs, one of the highest levels faced by any country in the world.
Although he initially placed 25% tariffs on India, he mounted the punitive additional 25% to target the country’s massive purchase of discounted Russian oil amid the Ukraine crisis.
#WATCH | On India’s Russian oil imports, US President Donald J Trump says, "… They wanted to make me happy, basically… PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very… pic.twitter.com/ANNdO36CZI
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2026
What’s new: India-US on Russian oil issue
As per the latest date from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the country’s Russian oil imports appear to have risen to a six-month high in November 2025. However, at the same time, India has also doubled down on buying American oil, bringing it share to a seven-month high in the same month.
The official data showed that India imported 7.7 million tonnes of oil from Russia in November 2025, marking a 7% rise from the quota it imported in the same month last year. On the flip side, India also imported 2.8 million tonnes of oil from America in Nov 2025.
Just this week, Reuters shared an exclusive report indicating that the India oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) has asked refiners to push out weekly disclosures of their Russian and US oil purchases. People familiar with the matter told the outlet that Indian officials were expecting Russian crude imports to fall below 1 million barrels per day as New Delhi is focussed on securing a trade deal with Washington.
“We want timely and accurate data on Russian and U.S. oil imports so that, when the U.S. asks for information, we can provide verified figures instead of them relying on secondary sources,” the report quoted a government official.
