US President Donald Trump once again took aim at India’s trade practices on Tuesday. He accused the country of being an unfair trading partner and said he would increase tariffs on Indian goods very soon.

New Tariffs Coming Within 24 Hours

In an interview with CNBC, Trump confirmed his plans to impose new trade penalties on India. “India has not been a good trading partner, because they do a lot of business with us, but we don’t do business with them. So we settled on 25 per cent but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil,” he said.

Currently, the US has already placed a 25% tariff on some Indian products. According to Trump, the upcoming hike will take effect by August 7.

Trump Links Tariffs to Russian Oil Imports

Trump connected his decision to India’s purchase of Russian oil. He argued that India’s trade with Russia was growing at the cost of global peace.

Just a day earlier, on Monday, Trump had made a strong statement against India through his social media platform, Truth Social. 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. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”

Background to the Criticism

Trump’s remarks come as global attention remains focused on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Many Western leaders have criticized countries that continue to trade with Moscow, especially in oil and gas.

India, meanwhile, has increased its oil imports from Russia since the war began in 2022. Officials in New Delhi have defended the move, saying the country buys energy based on national interest and market rates.

However, Trump believes this trade with Russia undermines the US and its allies. His tough stance suggests a more aggressive approach to economic policy, especially with countries that do not align with Washington's foreign policy goals.