US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that his administration "could" impose sanctions on China for purchasing Russian oil. His remark comes a day after he imposed an extra 25 per cent tariffs on India.
"Could happen. Depends on how we do. Could happen," said Trump told reporters when asked whether he was planning to enact more tariffs on China.
When asked why he is singling India out for these additional sanctions, as other countries, including China, are also purchasing Russian crude, Trump said, "It's only been 8 hours. So let's see what happens. You're going to see a lot more...You're going to see so much secondary sanctions."
Trump imposes additional 25% tariffs, total tariffs increased to 50%
The US President on Wednesday imposed an additional 50 per cent tariffs on India, increasing the total tariffs imposed on the country to 50 per cent. In his executive order, Trump said India is "directly or indirectly" importing Russian oil.
India, meanwhile, has hit back at the US for imposing additional tariffs, calling the move "extremely unfortunate". In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India will take all necessary action to protect its national interest.
Jaiswal also said that the US has imposed sanctions only on India, but many other countries have also taken such actions "in their own national interest". "We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India," he said.
How much oil does India buy from Russia?
India imports 88 per cent of the crude from overseas. Before the beginning of the Ukraine war in 2022, India used to buy just 0.2 per cent of all crude oil from Russia. However, Russia has now become India's largest oil supplier. In July, India imported 1.6 million barrels of oil a day from Russia, according to a report by news agency PTI.
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