‘Right Idea’: Zelensky Backs US Tariffs on India for Russian Oil Purchases

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has endorsed Washington’s push to impose tariffs on countries continuing trade with Russia, including India, even as New Delhi intensifies its diplomatic outreach to end the Ukraine war.

“I think the idea to put tariffs on the country… continuing to make deals with Russia is the right idea,” Zelensky told ABC News when asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where he was seen alongside the leaders of Russia and China.

His remarks come as the Trump administration signals tougher measures against Moscow. President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was ready to expand sanctions on Russia after his Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett also pointed to India as a case in focus, citing its purchases of Russian oil. “We’re ready to respond to them economically,” he said.

India, meanwhile, has been ramping up calls for peace. Modi spoke with Zelensky twice last month, stressing New Delhi’s “consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict” and India’s willingness to “make every possible contribution.” He also held talks with European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, and Emmanuel Macron.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in a call with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, reiterated India’s support for “an early end to the conflict and the establishment of an enduring peace.”