Metro53 - President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to "substantially" hike US tariffs on goods from India over its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow's war on Ukraine.
Moscow is anticipating talks with the US leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin this week.
On Monday, Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform that India was "buying massive amounts of Russian Oil" and selling it for "big profits."
"They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," Trump added.
"Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA."
But he did not provide details on what tariff level he had in mind.
A day earlier, a top aide to President Trump accused India of effectively financing Russia's war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow.
"What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia," said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Trump's most influential aides.
"People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact," Miller said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."
India slams 'unjustified' criticism
Meanwhile, India has rejected the "unjustified and unreasonable targeting" of the nation for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict.
"Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
In the statement, the spokesperson noted that India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. "The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability," he said.
