U.S. President Donald Trump
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/NATHAN HOWARD
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that trade talks with India were “going good” and he had plans of visiting the country. But he kept the pressure up on Delhi for cutting down oil purchase from Moscow by claiming that India had largely stopped buying Russian oil.
“They are going good, he (the Indian PM) stopped buying oil from Russia largely. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go… Prime Minister Modi is a great man and I will be going…,” Trump said on Thursday. Asked if he would visit India in 2026, he said “yes, it could be”.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick justified US tariffs on India, which included a 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil on top of reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent, by emphasising that Trump was using the taxes to end the Russia-Ukraine war. “The President is using these taxes to buy justice; he is using the tariffs to end the war in Russia and Ukraine, where he has told India ‘stop buying oil’,” Lutnick said defending the sweeping tariffs amid the ongoing Supreme Court case.
India, however, is not ready to cut its energy ties with Russia although imports declined in September due to US sanctions on top Russian oil companies.
India’s stand
India has refused to bend on the issue of Russian oil even after US imposed 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian goods as penalty. In the ongoing India-US trade talks, India wants the entire penalty for buying Russian oil to be rolled back in addition to a substantial cut in reciprocal tariffs.
“It is totally unacceptable to India that the US should impose tariffs for a sovereign decision taken by the country. India has not flouted any rules by purchasing Russian oil and must not be singled out,” the source told businessline.
It is important for India to persuade the US to cut the 50 per cent taxes in the ongoing trade negotiations as its global competitors such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia face much lower tariffs of 19-20 per cent. India’s exports to the US declined 12 per cent to $5.46 billion in September 2025 (year-on-year) with labour-intensive sectors, such as gems & jewellery and textiles, taking a big hit.
In September 2025, India’s crude imports from Russia declined 28.93 per cent to $3,322 million (year-on-year) following US sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.
Published on November 7, 2025
