US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil, adding to 25% tariffs already announced.
In an executive order issued from the White House, the US president said: “I find that the government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.
“Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25%.”
The US president further said he determined it “necessary and appropriate” to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India since it was directly or indirectly importing Russian oil.
The order maintains exemptions for items targeted by separate sector-specific duties such as steel and aluminum, and categories that could be hit like pharmaceuticals.
The move threatens to further complicate US-Indian relations and comes shortly after a Indian government source said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit China for the first time in over seven years later this month.
US-India ties are facing their most serious crisis in years after talks with India failed to produce a trade agreement.
The White House move, first signaled by Trump on Monday, follows meetings by Trump’s top diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow aimed at pushing Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine.
Trump has threatened higher tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on its allies, if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not move to end the war in Ukraine.
