US President Donald Trump has been constantly attacking India over its purchase of oil from Russia. Trump has publicly stated that India is profiting from its oil purchases, while also funding the war in Ukraine.

Washington: US President Donald Trump made a startling claim on Wednesday, October 15, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. The next day, when the Indian Foreign Ministry was asked about this, it denied having any knowledge of the conversation between the two leaders. However, this is not the first time Trump has made such a unilateral claim. The US President has been continuously pressuring India to stop buying Russian oil. In this regard, he has imposed an additional 25% tariff on India, taking the total tariff on Indian products in the US to 50%. Why are India's energy imports a target of Trump?

Public statements against India

Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India in August of this year and publicly stated that India was buying large quantities of Russian oil, refining it, and selling it at a profit. India currently buys about 35 percent of its total supply from Russia. The Ministry of External Affairs has described this move as protecting the interests of Indian consumers.

During last year's presidential election, Trump claimed that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 100 days of coming to power. However, 10 months later, there are no signs of this happening. Meanwhile, he has already met with Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2025, but the meeting yielded no results. Since then, Russia's vast economy has once again come under Western scrutiny. Trump is pursuing a two-pronged strategy.

Attempt to pressure India by threatening it

The first strategy involves providing Ukraine with US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, which Ukraine can use to attack Russian oil refineries. The second plan is to threaten China and India, the largest buyers of Russian oil, with tariffs and trade negotiations to persuade them to stop purchasing oil.

Trump is not alone in this plan

Two days earlier, on October 15th, 85 US senators supported a bill authorizing Trump to impose 500 percent tariffs on China for purchasing Russian oil. On the same day, Britain imposed sanctions on an Indian refinery processing Russian oil. Trump's continued pressure on India is part of a strategy to force negotiations by significantly hurting Russia's energy exports.

Russia has begun looking for a counter to Trump's plan. Russia is compiling a list of advanced weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, nuclear-powered attack submarines, and stealth fighter jets, that it could sell to India and retain. Just a day earlier, the Russian ambassador revealed that Moscow is willing to produce its fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft in India. All these moves and countermeasures come as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fourth year in four months.

PC: NBT