US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he “doesn’t know anything” about the United States importing fertilisers and chemicals from Russia, responding to India’s accusation of “double standards”over Washington’s criticism of New Delhi’s Russian oil trade.Trump’s remarks came during a press conference at the White House, when a reporter asked: “India says the US buys Russian uranium and fertilisers while criticising them for buying Russian energy. Your response to that?”Trump replied: “I don’t know anything about it. We will have to check.”The comment came after a sharp statement from Trump on Truth Social. He accused India of profiting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war by purchasing and reselling Russian oil.“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” Trump posted.India swiftly rejected Trump’s accusations, calling them “unjustified and unreasonable.” In a strong statement, the ministry of external affairs defended India’s energy trade with Russia as a strategic necessity arising from the global market disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.“India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability. India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia,” the MEA said in a statement issued late on Monday.The statement emphasised that India’s imports were focused on ensuring affordable and reliable energy access for its consumers, adding that, “Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”India also pointed out that Western countries, including the US, continue to import Russian goods such as uranium hexafluoride for nuclear plants, palladium for making electric cars, and fertilisers and chemicals.The ministry of external affairs was responding to Trump’s warnings of penalties and increased tariffs by criticising what it described as the “double standards” and hypocrisy of both the United States and the European Union.“It is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia (despite the Ukraine war),” MEA noted.Trump did not specify the exact tariff hike but noted that “major actions are being seriously considered.”“I never said a percentage, but we’ll be doing quite a bit of that. We’ll see what happens over the next fairly short period of time,” Trump added.Trump had earlier indicated plans to raise the existing 25% tariff rate on Indian goods “very substantially”, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil as the reason.“Now, I will say this, India went from the highest tariffs ever. They will give us zero tariffs, and they’re going to let us go in. But that’s not good enough, because of what they’re doing with oil, not good,” Trump told CNBC.India’s imports of Russian oil have surged from a mere 0.2% of its total crude intake before the Ukraine conflict to over 35% in recent months, making Russia its leading supplier. The ministry of external affairs explained that this shift was driven by traditional Middle Eastern suppliers diverting their exports to Europe in the aftermath of the war.India has continued to uphold its ties with Russia despite mounting Western pressure to scale back relations over the Ukraine conflict, citing its long-standing relationship with Moscow.
