Trump cited ‘national security’ concerns as a reason for the import tax hike, sparking tensions in US-India relations.
United States President Donald Trump has issued an executive order imposing an additional 25-percent tariff on goods from India, as penalty for importing Russian oil.
Wednesday’s hike comes in addition to the 25-percent tariff India already faces, making it subject to one of the US’s highest import tax brackets under Trump, at a total of 50 percent.
In his executive order, Trump explained that Russia’s continued military actions in Ukraine constituted a “national emergency” and it was therefore “necessary and appropriate” to place heightened tariffs on India, a major consumer of its petroleum products.
“I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” Trump wrote.
