India Responds To Trump Levying Additional 25% Tariff — 'Will Take All Actions Necessary'

Shortly after US President Donald Trump announced an additional 25% tariffs on India on Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement, noting that the country will "take all actions necessary to protect its national interests."

The additional import levies have been slapped by Trump to "penalise" India for its continued purchase of Russian crude oil.

The MEA, in its statement, said India's imports are based on market factors and done with the "overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India".

"It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," it added.

The additional tariffs, which will come into effect from Aug. 27, have been announced a week after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on India due to the country's "trade barriers" and wide deficit in the trading relations with the US.

The cumulative tariffs add up to 50%, which is among the highest in the world, and at par with Brazil.

The MEA called the additional tariffs as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable."

Trump, earlier this week, sharpened his rhetoric against India, accusing the country of profiteering from the Russia-Ukraine war. "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, but they are also then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"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 US," he added.

This had drawn an official response from New Delhi, which pointed out that Washington "had encouraged" India's purchase of Russian crude following the Ukraine conflict to "maintain stability" in the global oil market.

Between April and June, Russian oil accounted for 33.7% of India's overall crude imports, as per official data. This is slightly lower as compared to calendar year 2024, when Russian oil accounted for 36% of India's cumulative crude imports.

The MEA also countered the US by pointing out that the country, along with the European Union, has been indulging in trade with Russia itself. "...it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," the MEA spokesperson said.