Rubio Backs US Tariff Hike On India For Purchasing Russian Oil

The United States slapped additional tariffs on India in response to its continued purchase of Russian oil, despite strong bilateral ties, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an interview with Good Morning America, PTI reported.

Rubio defended the decision, describing it as part of the broader measures taken by the Trump administration against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing war in Ukraine. "India is a very close partner of ours, and we had meetings with them again yesterday. But we’ve imposed additional tariffs because of their oil imports from Russia," Rubio said when asked about President Trump's actions against Moscow.

The comments came amid criticism that Trump has issued repeated threats against Putin but failed to follow through with significant action. In response, Rubio pointed to the recently introduced legislation by Senator Lindsey Graham, which includes penalties on both India and China for purchasing Russian oil and gas.

Pressed further on why there has been no direct action targeting Russia, Rubio said the administration has also called on European nations to curb their energy ties with Moscow. "There are still European countries buying massive amounts of natural gas and oil from Russia, essentially funding the war effort," he said, adding that progress is being made on security guarantees for Ukraine’s future.

Rubio noted that following the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, European leaders had visited Washington, where talks focused on long-term security frameworks for Ukraine. "We've made a lot of progress on outlining those guarantees, which will be critical in any future negotiated resolution of the conflict," he stated.

Rubio’s remarks followed a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly high-level week in New York. Their meeting, which lasted about an hour, was the first in-person discussion between the two amid ongoing tensions related to trade, tariffs, and India’s energy dealings with Russia.

Jaishankar, in a post on X, described the meeting as productive. “Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch,” he wrote.

Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department reiterated the strategic value of its partnership with India. “India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States,” the readout stated, while also acknowledging ongoing cooperation in sectors such as defence, trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals.

The Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Delhi as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the US to 50 per cent, among the highest in the world.

With PTI inputs