On Wednesday (27th August), the Democrats in House Foreign Affairs Committee criticised US President Donald Trump for imposing tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil. They questioned why China and other countries buying larger quantities of Russian oil have been spared.
In a post on X, the Committee alleged that Trump’s decision to focus solely on India with tariffs is “hurting Americans and sabotaging the US-India relationship in the process.” The committee questioned the administration’s intent, remarking, “It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all.”
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.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems (@HouseForeign) August 27, 2025
It's almost like it's not about Ukraine at all.https://t.co/u1pt3iAVC2 pic.twitter.com/lQNAYXTYkC
Quoting a NYT report, they stated, “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.” The post was shared on X on Wednesday, coinciding with the day the 50 per cent tariffs on imports from India to the United States came into effect.
This follows the draft notice published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that stated that the tariffs order would come into effect from 27th August.
According to the notice, the additional duties are being imposed to give effect to the President’s Executive Order 14329 of August 6, 2025, titled “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation.”
The order set a new rate of duty on imports of articles that are products of India. The move follows the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent. The CBP said that the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined it necessary to modify the Harmonised Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) in line with the executive order. The higher duties are applicable to all Indian products that are either entered for consumption in the U.S. or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption. With this, the 50 per cent tariffs on India’s imports to the U.S. are now in effect.
Trump first announced a 25% duty on Indian goods, but he subsequently declared that he would increase it to 50% by adding 25% more as a ‘penalty’ for purchasing Russian oil, which he wrongly insisted “funded the war in Ukraine.” He had set the implementation date for 27th August.
Interestingly, while Trump has imposed tariffs on India, the seller of Russian oil-made petroleum products, he has not penalised the buyers of Russian oil, including Europe and his own country. Moreover, China, which is the biggest buyer of Russian oil, has been not been subjected to high tariffs and criticism from the White House. In fact, China is getting rewarded by Trump.
India, however, remains undeterred and has repeatedly said that it will not stop buying Russian oil simply because the US wants it to. OpIndia earlier reported that while Trump and his officials blame India for the continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war and profiteering from it, it is the US which has profited the most and even in brokering peace between the two warring nations, America is signing lucrative trade deals for itself.
