Trump doubles tariff on India to 50% for buying Russian oil

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (August 6, 2025) slapped an additional 25% tariff on goods coming from India as penalty for New Delhi’s continued buying of Russian oil.

Mr. Trump signed an executive order imposing the additional tariff less than 14 hours before his initial tariffs were to come into effect.

Also Read | I never said a percentage: Trump on increasing tariffs on countries buying Russian energy

After the order, the total tariff on Indian goods, barring a small exemption list, will be 50%.

While the initial duty becomes effective on August 7, the additional levy will come into effect after 21 days.

The move comes after Mr. Trump on Tuesday (August 5, 2025) said India has not been a good trading partner and warned of raising the tariffs “very substantially” over the next 24 hours over India’s purchase of Russian oil.

“With India, what people don’t like to say about India, they’re the highest tariff nation. They have the highest tariff of anybody. We do very, very little business with India because their tariffs are so high,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with CNBC Squawk Box.

“India has not been a good trading partner, because they do a lot of business with us, but we don’t do business with them. So we settled on 25% (tariff), but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil. They’re fuelling the war machine. And if they’re going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy,” he added.