Just three days before a steep new U.S. penalty on India takes effect, Vice President J.D. Vance has revealed the reasoning behind the move: put financial pressure on Russia to halt its war in Ukraine.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Vance said President Donald Trump had unleashed “aggressive economic leverage,” including secondary tariffs on India, to cut off Moscow’s oil revenues. The extra 25% tariff — set to kick in this week — targets India’s purchases of Russian crude.
“We’re trying to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy,” Vance explained.
The announcement comes as Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar pushes back hard, calling the tariff “unjustified and unfair” and arguing that it’s being wrongly “presented as an oil issue.”
India in Washington’s Crosshairs
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized New Delhi for buying discounted Russian oil — a stance it has not taken toward China, the largest importer of that crude. Senior U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Advisor Peter Navarro, accuse India of helping fund the Kremlin’s war machine.
By adding the latest 25% penalty to an existing tariff, Trump has now doubled duties on Indian products to 50% — the highest U.S. tariff rate on any country in the world.
India insists its energy policy, including purchases from Russia, is driven by national interest and market needs.
Diplomacy Amid Tariffs
Vance sounded upbeat about chances for peace, despite lingering tensions after Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“We believe we’ve already seen significant concessions from both sides in the past few weeks,” he said, adding that Trump has made it clear Russia could “be re-invited into the world economy” if it ends the fighting — but would remain isolated if it does not.
Jaishankar Fires Back
Jaishankar, who met Putin during a visit to Moscow this week, said he was “very perplexed” by the tariff hike, noting that it was the U.S. itself that once urged countries to “do everything to stabilize the world’s energy markets — including buying oil from Russia.”
At The Economic Times World Leaders Forum on Saturday, he accused Washington of applying double standards:
“The same arguments used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, China, or the largest LNG importers, the European nations.”
Asked about U.S. criticism, he shot back: “If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you.”
India–Russia Ties Stay Strong
Despite U.S. pressure, India and Russia have agreed to expand bilateral trade. Putin is also expected to visit India later this year — a sign that the growing Washington–Delhi trade fight may not slow their partnership.
