India Slams U.S. and EU Double Standards as Trump Threatens Steeper Tariffs

After U.S. President Donald Trump threatened New Delhi with much higher tariffs in an overnight social media post, India claimed it was being "targeted" by the United States and the European Union for importing Russian oil. India's foreign ministry said in a statement late Monday that the country only started importing oil from Russia after "traditional supplies" were redirected to Europe after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022.

"It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia."

The ministry said, criticizing the US and the EU. Such trade is not even a necessary national compulsion [for them], in contrast to our situation.

According to data from the European Commission, the EU's bilateral trade with Russia was worth 67.5 billion euros ($78.1 billion) in 2024, compared to 17.2 billion euros in 2023 for services trade. India claimed that the bloc's trade was "much more" than its overall trade with Russia, citing those figures. Bilateral trade between New Delhi and Moscow hit a record $68.7 billion for the year ending March 2025, according to data from the Indian embassy in Moscow. This is almost 5.8 times more than the $10.1 billion in trade that existed before the pandemic.

While the EU was Moscow's top trading partner in 2020, it fell to third place in 2024, making up 38.4% of Russia's total international trade in goods. In 2024, the EU's goods trade with Russia fell by almost 74% from 257.5 billion euros in 2021. India's reaction follows Trump's Monday threat to "substantially raise" tariffs on India, although he did not specify the exact amount of the increase. Last week, the president of the United States threatened an undefined "penalty" and a 25% duty on Indian exports.

Additionally, he charged that India had purchased Russian oil at a discount and "sold it on the Open Market for big profits." Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has emerged as India's top oil supplier, with imports rising from just under 100,000 barrels per day before the invasion, or 2.5% of total imports, to over 1.8 million barrels per day in 2023, or 39% of total imports, according to a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability,” the country said in its statement.

In 2024, India received 70% of Russia's crude exports, according to the International Energy Agency. India claimed that the purpose of oil imports was to guarantee Indian consumers stable and reasonably priced energy prices. India also attacked the United States, claiming that it still imports fertilizers, chemicals, palladium for the electric vehicle industry, and uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry from Russia.

According to government data, U.S. bilateral trade with Russia was $5.2 billion in 2024, down from nearly $36 billion in 2021. No "reciprocal tariffs" have been placed on Russia by the United States.

“In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” New Delhi said.

A widening divide in international economic diplomacy is highlighted by India's dispute with the US and the EU over Russian trade. Trump's tariff threats are meant to put pressure on New Delhi, but India maintains that it is acting in its own economic and national interest, just like Western countries do. Although the conflict might not lead to a trade collapse right away, it highlights long-standing tensions that may alter future supply chain partnerships and collaborations.

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