Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and President Donald Trump have criticized India in recent days as they try to discourage countries from propping up Russia.
“India came to the table early. They’ve been slow rolling things,” Bessent said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. “So, I think that the president, the whole trade team’s been frustrated with them, and also, India’s been a large buyer of sanctioned Russian oil that they then resell as refined products. So, you know, they have not been a great global actor.”
On Truth Social, Trump said, “I don’t care what India does with Russia.”
“They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” Trump wrote.
Trump had previously threatened to propose a 25% tariff on India for purchasing military equipment and energy from Russia as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine.
“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Buying Russian energy won’t help stop the war in Ukraine, Trump said.
“They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine — all things not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25%, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August 1.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
