U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that India will incur “massive tariffs” if it persists in acquiring oil from Russia. He reiterated his earlier assertion that he had received assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that New Delhi would discontinue its oil purchases from Moscow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, October 19, 2025, Mr. Trump underscored that India would “continue to pay massive tariffs” if they did not halt Russian oil imports, emphasizing his belief that “they (India) don’t want to do that.”
Mr. Trump’s remarks were made in response to questions concerning India’s recent statements regarding its Russian oil procurement.
Just last week, India publicly stated its intent to “broad-base and diversify” its energy sourcing to align with market conditions. This announcement followed closely on the heels of Mr. Trump’s earlier claim that Mr. Modi had guaranteed him India would cease purchasing Russian crude oil.
However, Mr. Trump expressed skepticism about India’s latest stance. He firmly countered, “But I don’t believe they said that. No, I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing.”
Washington has consistently maintained that India’s continued reliance on Russian crude oil helps finance the ongoing conflict. This issue has further strained the relationship between New Delhi and Washington, particularly after Mr. Trump implemented significant tariff hikes on Indian goods, reaching a substantial 50 percent. This included an additional 25% duty specifically applied to India’s purchases of Russian crude oil.
India, for its part, criticized the U.S. actions, labeling them as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”