<h3 data-start="209" data-end="280">🇺🇸 India in Crossfire as Trump Targets Russia via Tariff Game</h3>
In a dramatic geopolitical move wrapped in the garb of trade policy, <a title="US" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/business/trump-imposes-additional-25-tariff-on-imports/17510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> President Donald Trump has slapped India with an additional 25% tariff, pushing the total trade penalty to 50%, the highest levied on any country so far. But a closer look reveals a far more calculated game&mdash;<a title="India" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/international/india-uk-seal-landmark-34-billion-trade-deal/16916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> isn't the real target. Russia is.
The White House has accused India of buying discounted Russian oil and allegedly reselling it in global markets, thereby enabling Moscow to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine. Yet, behind the aggressive tone and headline-grabbing tariffs lies a more complex strategy: Trump is using India&rsquo;s energy relations with Russia as a pressure point&mdash;to drag Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
In fact, Trump has subtly indicated that early next week he might hold bilateral talks with Putin, possibly followed by a tripartite meeting including Ukraine&rsquo;s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His tactics echo an old-world diplomatic manoeuvre&mdash;sanction a friend to corner a rival.
Despite tough rhetoric, the tariff implementation is delayed by three weeks, a move analysts say is a deliberate cooling-off period, giving Trump space to push Putin for concessions. The original plan to impose the 25% tariff on Indian goods effective 1 August was also postponed, further underlining that this is not about punishing India, but leveraging its Russian oil ties to recalibrate global power equations.
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ALSO READ: https://www.benefitnews24.com/business/-30b-indian-exports-safe-from-trump-tariff/17516
<h3 data-start="1772" data-end="1821">India-Russia Oil Trade: The Numbers Speak</h3>
India, the world&rsquo;s third-largest oil consumer, has become Russia&rsquo;s top energy customer, especially since the Ukraine war began. From January to June 2025, India imported 1.75 million barrels of Russian oil per day, a marginal rise from the previous year. Over the last fiscal, that translated to a staggering &pound;38 billion worth of Russian oil, almost 36% of India&rsquo;s total crude imports.
Interestingly, as India&rsquo;s imports of Russian crude more than doubled in 2023, its refined product exports to the EU also surged&mdash;a development that didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed in Washington. In April 2025, India&rsquo;s intake of Russian oil touched 2.15 million barrels a day, the highest since May 2023.
Meanwhile, OPEC&rsquo;s share in India&rsquo;s oil basket slipped to 48.5%, signalling a shifting balance in global energy politics. The US, on the other hand, wants India to reduce this dependency and turn to American crude, much like it did in 2019 when India halted oil imports from Iran under US pressure.
<h3 data-start="2857" data-end="2891">India as a Bargaining Chip</h3>
Trump&rsquo;s claim that India is helping fund Russia&rsquo;s war effort sits in contrast to his past warmth with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just last year, India and the US recorded a bilateral trade volume of $212 billion, with a $46 billion surplus in India&rsquo;s favour. Modi has even set an ambitious target to raise bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Yet, tariffs on Indian goods are now being used as geopolitical tools, not mere trade levers. The message is clear: stop buying Russian oil&mdash;or face economic heat. But New Delhi, heavily invested in maintaining strategic autonomy and energy security, remains unmoved. Officials indicate that India will respond firmly, using diplomatic backchannels and economic countermeasures if needed.
<h3 data-start="3669" data-end="3711">More Onshoring Than Friend-Shoring</h3>
This turn of events also signals Trump&rsquo;s shift away from &ldquo;friend-shoring&rdquo; to an &ldquo;America First&rdquo; energy policy, prioritising onshoring production and controlling supply chains over nurturing strategic allies.
Apart from India, only Brazil faces equally high tariffs&mdash;a move that may alienate key partners in the Global South, who increasingly view the US-led sanctions regime as unilateral and self-serving.
The White House, however, seems less concerned about bruising friendships, and more focused on ensuring that Russia feels the squeeze&mdash;even if it means rattling allies along the way
<h3 data-start="4329" data-end="4348">&nbsp;</h3>

Russian oil tanker (representative photo)

India's Russia oil ties become Trump’s geopolitical chess piece amid tariff drama

Trump Tariffs India, But Is Putin the Real Target?

India's Russia oil ties become Trump’s geopolitical chess piece amid tariff drama

August 7, 2025 | 15:09 IST