WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump issued an executive order today imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil, adding to 25% tariffs already announced.
The move threatens to further complicate relations between Washington and New Delhi and comes shortly after an Indian government source said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit China for the first time in over seven years later this month.
US-India ties are facing their most serious crisis in years after talks with India failed to produce a trade agreement.
The White House move, first signalled by Trump on Monday, follows meetings by Trump’s top diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow aimed at pushing Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine.
Trump has threatened higher tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on its allies, if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not move to end the war in Ukraine.