'US still buys Russian uranium, chemicals': India's hard-hitting response after Trump's fresh tariff warning

India on Monday issued a strong rebuttal to US President Donald Trump's threat of additional tariffs, calling the targeting of Indian trade "unjustified and unreasonable" and pointing to continued imports of Russian goods by both the US and Europe.

Responding to Trump’s accusation that India profits by reselling Russian oil, the Ministry of External Affairs said: "India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. In fact, 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," the MEA added. 

The statement framed India's actions as a "necessity compelled by global market situation," noting, "India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer."

The MEA pointed out that the US and EU continue trading with Russia even though, unlike India, their trade is not driven by urgent national need. "It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," the statement said.

Citing official data, the MEA said the European Union had a bilateral trade of €67.5 billion in goods with Russia in 2024, and an additional €17.2 billion in services in 2023. "European imports of LNG in 2024 reached a record 16.5 million tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21 million tonnes in 2022," it said. The EU’s Russia trade basket includes "not just energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel, and machinery and transport equipment."

On the United States, India said Washington "continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals." "In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the MEA said.

Trump’s threat came in a Truth Social post on Monday, in which he wrote: "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… Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA."

Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian imports starting August 1 through an executive order. The move followed his earlier remarks that India and Russia could "take their dead economies down together." The White House has since said the tariff implementation may be deferred to August 7.