EU and US faced accusations of hypocrisy regarding their trade policies with Russia by India.
India has spoken out against the EU's use of "unilateral sanctions" in relation to its imports of Russian oil. The country's Foreign Ministry issued a statement, highlighting the ongoing importation of Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium, fertilizers, and chemicals by the United States [1][2].
This controversy arises from a unique approach taken by the US under President Trump's 2025 administration. In a move unprecedented in recent history, the US has imposed secondary tariffs specifically targeting imports from India due to its continued importation of Russian-origin oil [1][2]. This forms part of a broader US strategy to exert economic pressure, with a 25 percent additional tariff on Indian goods effective August 27, 2025, intended to discourage India from purchasing Russian oil and to push Russia towards a peace agreement over the war in Ukraine [1][2].
While the US and EU also maintain extensive trade relationships with Russia, the US has chosen to enforce sanctions on countries importing Russian oil through targeted secondary tariffs. This new approach signals a stricter, escalated enforcement approach against countries indirectly supporting the Russian oil market [1][2]. The EU, in contrast, has maintained sanctions but has not imposed comparable secondary tariffs like the US’s recently announced ones on India.
India's Foreign Ministry did not specify the sources for the export information in its statement. The criticism followed a renewed threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on goods from India due to its Russian oil purchases.
India is one of the biggest buyers of crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day from January to June this year, marking a 1 percent increase from the previous year [1]. The EU, meanwhile, was Russia's fifth-largest trading partner in 2021, with goods exchange worth 258 billion euros [3]. The EU conducted 67.5 billion euros in trade with Russia in 2024, including record imports of liquefied natural gas [4].
The controversy has sparked criticism from Indian political leaders. Manish Tewari, a member of parliament and Congress leader, expressed concern over Trump's "disparaging remarks," stating they hurt the dignity and self-respect of Indians [5]. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress in India have also condemned Trump's repeated criticism of New Delhi [6].
The EU and the US have scaled back their trade ties with Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, the sudden rift between India and the US has been deepening since July 31, when Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods being shipped to the US and for the first time threatened unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil [7].
Trade experts warn that Trump's tariff could badly hurt India's economy. Ajay Srivastava of the New Delhi-based Global Trade Research Initiative expects Indian goods exports to the US to fall 30 percent in the current fiscal year ending March 31, to $60.6 billion from $86.5 billion in the 2025 fiscal year [8]. India's equity benchmarks also fell after Trump's renewed threat of harsh tariffs on goods from India.
The BJP Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda quoted Henry Kissinger, the most powerful US diplomat of the Cold War era, in a post on social media: "To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal" [9].
As of now, the U.S. embassy and the EU's delegation in New Delhi have not responded to a request for comment.
- The escalating trade dispute between India and the US over war-and-conflicts, specifically the importation of Russian oil, has tangible political implications, as seen in the criticism from Indian political leaders, such as Manish Tewari, who expressed concerns about President Trump's policies and statements.
- The differences in policy-and-legislation between the US and EU regarding the enforcement of sanctions on countries importing Russian oil, with the US imposing secondary tariffs and the EU maintaining sanctions but not imposing comparable measures, have become a significant factor in general news and international politics.
