Trump threatens India with a “substantial” price hike for the purchase of Russian oil

Donald Trump threatened to “considerably” increase rates against India for the purchase of oil from Russia.

“They (India) do not care about the number of people in Ukraine killed by the Russian war machine,” the American president wrote online, Truth Social on Monday.

India is currently among the largest Russian oil buyers. It has become an important export market for Moscow after several European countries reduced trade when Russia launched its large -scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Trump did not specify what would be the new price, but it comes only a few days after revealing a 25% lick on India.

Delhi described Trump’s warning “unjustified and unreasonable”.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry, Randir Jaiswal, said that the United States had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, “to strengthen the stability of the world energy markets”.

He said India “began to import Russia because traditional supplies have been diverted to Europe after the conflict was triggered”.

India has also criticized the United States-its largest trading partner-for introducing prices, when the United States itself is still trade with Russia. Last year, the United States exchanged goods of an estimated value of $ 3.5 billion (2.6 billion pounds sterling) with Russia, despite sanctions and difficult rates.

“Like any great economy, India will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests and economic security,” the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Last week, Trump described India as a “friend” whose prices on American products “are far too high”. His latest social article of Truth again took a critical tone.

“India is not only buying massive quantities of Russian oil, they are then, for a large part of the oil purchased, selling it on the free market for large profits,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not order India oil refineries to stop buying Russian oil, said Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation.

Ajay Srivastava, former Indian trade manager and head of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi -based reflection group, said Trump’s statements on India oil trade with Russia were misleading for several reasons.

He told the BBC that trade had been transparent and widely understood by the United States.

Srivastava said India increased oil purchases to help stabilize world markets after Western sanctions have disrupted supplies – helping to stop a world shock from oil prices.

He also said that India oil refineries – public and private – decide where to buy crude oil depending on factors such as prices, supply security and export rules. They operate independently of the government and do not need its approval to buy in Russia or other countries.

Although relations between the United States and Russia healed after Trump returned to the White House in January, the American president recently hated his rhetoric against the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump wondered if Putin was really attached to peace with Ukraine. In the social post of truth on Monday, he used the severe language, describing the Russian army as the “Russian war machine”.

The head of Russia has repeatedly said that he was ready for peace, but only if kyiv fulfills certain conditions, such as the recognition of the Ukrainian territories that Russia has occupied.

Trump threatened serious prices in Moscow targeting his oil and other exports if a cease-fire with Ukraine was not agreed on August 8.

American envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Russia later this week, where he should meet Putin.

SUTIK BISWAS additional reports