Days After Imposing 25% Tariff, Trump Issues Fresh Warning of Harsher Trade Penalties on India

US President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his trade offensive against India, warning that he would “substantially raise” tariffs on Indian goods. The statement, posted on Truth Social, comes just a week after Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s high duties on American products and its continued imports of Russian oil and military equipment.

“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits,” Trump wrote. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

The latest remarks come as Trump pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine and increases pressure on countries maintaining strong ties with Moscow. He accused India of profiting from the war while ignoring the humanitarian toll in Ukraine.

Last week, Trump had launched a scathing attack on both India and Russia, saying: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.” He further criticized India’s trade practices, calling its tariffs “among the highest in the world” and branding New Delhi’s non-monetary trade barriers as “strenuous and obnoxious.”

The 25% tariff, announced ahead of the August 1 deadline, is part of what Trump called a “reciprocal” response to India’s trade policies and its growing alignment with Russia. The move signals further strain in US-India relations amid intensifying global geopolitical and economic fault lines.