‘Maybe they’ll be selling oil to India some day’: Trump touts Pakistan oil deal with US
The announcement throws a new variable into Trump’s pressure campaign on India, which he linked to its trade ties with Russia and role in BRICS—a bloc he called “anti the United States.”
- Jul 31, 2025,
- Updated Jul 31, 2025 6:56 AM IST
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new U.S.-Pakistan partnership to tap Pakistan’s “massive oil reserves,” suggesting the fuel could eventually be sold to India—just a day after slapping India with a 25% tariff and warning of penalties over its continued trade with Russia.
“We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,” Trump posted on TruthSocial. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling Oil to India some day!”
The announcement throws a new variable into Trump’s pressure campaign on India, which he recently linked to its trade ties with Russia and role in BRICS—a bloc he called “anti the United States.”
“We are negotiating right now and it’s also BRICS,” Trump said earlier this week. “It is an attack on the dollar and we are not going to let anybody attack the dollar. So it’s partially BRICS and it’s partially trade.”
India, a long-time defense and energy customer of Russia, now sources roughly one-third of its oil imports from Moscow, up from under 1% before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump cited this deepening trade as a key reason behind the tariff hike and potential penalties.
At the same time, Trump hinted that India may be willing to reduce its tariffs “very substantially,” but signaled no guarantee of a deal. “We’ll see what they do,” he said, indicating clarity may come by the end of the week.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new U.S.-Pakistan partnership to tap Pakistan’s “massive oil reserves,” suggesting the fuel could eventually be sold to India—just a day after slapping India with a 25% tariff and warning of penalties over its continued trade with Russia.
“We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,” Trump posted on TruthSocial. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling Oil to India some day!”
The announcement throws a new variable into Trump’s pressure campaign on India, which he recently linked to its trade ties with Russia and role in BRICS—a bloc he called “anti the United States.”
“We are negotiating right now and it’s also BRICS,” Trump said earlier this week. “It is an attack on the dollar and we are not going to let anybody attack the dollar. So it’s partially BRICS and it’s partially trade.”
India, a long-time defense and energy customer of Russia, now sources roughly one-third of its oil imports from Moscow, up from under 1% before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump cited this deepening trade as a key reason behind the tariff hike and potential penalties.
At the same time, Trump hinted that India may be willing to reduce its tariffs “very substantially,” but signaled no guarantee of a deal. “We’ll see what they do,” he said, indicating clarity may come by the end of the week.