America’s additional tariff on India has sparked a global rage, with not only countries like Australia, France, but even the US politicians are calling out President Donald Trump’s bluff and duality over the Russian oil claim. Trump has claimed that India’s purchase of Russian oil is funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Now, even American politicians have understood Trump’s bullying game and are openly flagging it.
“Instead of imposing sanctions on China or others purchasing larger amounts of Russian oil, Trump’s singling out India with tariffs, hurting Americans & sabotaging the US-India relationship in the process. It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all,” said the House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that oversees America’s foreign policy, diplomatic relations, and international programs. The committee has members from both parties- Republicans and Democrats. The statement has been issued by Democrats.
Democrats Slam Trump’s Duality
The Democrats pointed to a New York Times report, which noted that India has been left baffled by the Trump administration as the 50 percent U.S. tariffs kicked in.
“It would be one thing if the Trump administration had opted to follow through on the threat of secondary sanctions for any country that purchases Russian oil. But the decision to focus solely on India has resulted in perhaps the most confusing policy outcome of all: China, the largest importer of Russian energy, is still purchasing oil at discount prices and has so far been spared similar punishment,” said the NYT report.
US Tariff A Wake Up Call: Kant
Former NITI Aayog CEO and India’s ex-G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant has said that the latest tariff measures by US President Donald Trump should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ for India. “Trump’s tariffs must be a wake-up call for India. The irony is striking: the U.S. is actively negotiating with Russia and China, the latter being the largest buyer of Russian oil, yet chooses to target India with tariffs instead. Let us be clear, this is not about Russian oil. It is about India’s energy security and strategic autonomy, which we should never compromise,” he said on X.
Kant said that India must stay firm on protecting its strategic interests while using the situation to push through crucial reforms. “India has, on numerous occasions, refused to yield to global pressure. This moment should be no different. Rather than intimidate us, these global headwinds must galvanise India into bold, once-in-a-generation reforms, while also diversifying our export markets to secure long-term growth and resilience,” he concluded.
