NEW YORK (IANS)- President Donald Trump on July 14 threatened to impose a 100 percent secondary tariff on countries that import oil, gas, and uranium from Russia. He stated he was “very unhappy” with Moscow’s intransigence in finding an end to the war with Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the White House alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump issued a 50-day deadline for the punitive tariff to take effect if Russia did not reach a peace deal with Ukraine. “We’re very, very unhappy with them, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs. If we don’t have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 per cent, you’d call them secondary tariffs,” he said.
While directly aimed at Russia, this tariff, if implemented, would make India a collateral victim of the Washington-Moscow standoff, particularly as India is in the process of finalizing a bilateral trade agreement with the US.
Washington anticipates that compelling nations like China and India to cease buying Russian energy would significantly impact Moscow’s war machine by squeezing its available funds. This, the US reckons, could also motivate China, in particular, to pressure Russia into a peace deal.
Trump also expressed support for a proposed bill that would impose a 500 percent tariff on countries purchasing energy products from Russia, though he added, “I’m not sure we need it,” suggesting he could impose such a punitive tariff himself. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham proposed the 500 percent bill, which has garnered 85 co-sponsors, including many Democrats. Trump remarked, “It’s certainly good that they’re doing it.”
Graham had reportedly held off introducing the bill until he received a go-ahead from Trump. Trump noted that Graham is collaborating with House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the bill “is probably going to pass very easily” with some “little tweaks.” He further stated, “They’ve actually crafted a pretty good piece of legislation,” but reiterated that due to his existing tariff-imposing powers, he doesn’t believe legislation is necessary, as he doesn’t “want them to waste their time.”
India has consistently defended its oil purchases from Russia, citing the country’s developmental needs and its role in stabilizing international oil prices. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated in December that Russian oil “is not necessarily cheap,” and argued that “India did the entire world a favour by buying Russian oil because if we had not done so, the global oil prices would have skyrocketed to $200 a barrel.”
Expressing his anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump remarked, “My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night.” Trump, who had previously attempted to broker a deal, said, “I felt we had a deal about four times” between Russia and Ukraine, “but it just kept going on and on.”
He also announced that the US would send Patriot missiles and other arms to Ukraine.
