Headline Roundup • August 27th, 2025
Trump's Tariff on India Doubles to 50% as Country Keeps Buying Russian Oil
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on India took effect as the country continues to buy Russian oil.
The Details: The tariffs, which took effect just after midnight ET on Wednesday, could further disrupt global supply chains and damage the Indian economy. India shipped about $87.3 billion in goods to the US last year and is now urging citizens to buy more domestically-made products rather than U.S. goods.
Key Quote: "No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand it," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. "Indians must adopt the mantra "whatever we buy must be made in India."
For Context: India, a long-standing US ally, now faces some of the highest tariffs imposed by the US as India continues to purchase Russian oil. The White House has claimed the purchase of Russian oil indirectly funds Russia's war against Ukraine. Trump delayed imposing the higher rate earlier this month, giving a chance for negotiations to take place between India and Russia. Those negotiations, which were due to start this week, were reportedly cancelled, though trade talks between India and the US are expected to continue.
How The Media Covered It: Some sources on the left reported that Trump's tariffs on India push Modi closer to ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Epoch Times (Lean Right bias) noted that since 2022, India has been one of Russia's largest trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching almost $69 billion annually. Sources across the political spectrum noted the potential economic impact on the export market to the US, which accounts for nearly a third of shipments in items such as textiles, gems, and jewelry.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Donald Trump's steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the US president issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% penalty on India over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons.
This makes India - one of the US's strongest partners in the Indo-Pacific - among the countries hit with the highest tariffs in the world. This could deal a blow to exports and growth in the world's fifth largest economy, given that the US was, until recently, India's largest trading partner.
The tariff setback has sent...
The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, pushing some duties to as high as 50% as of Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed.
The move has been framed as retaliation for New Delhi’s surging imports of discounted Russian crude.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, India’s top diplomat, ripped the U.S. for targeting New Delhi over Russian oil while giving China and Europe a pass. Both sides have blamed five rounds of failed trade talks on misjudgments and missed signals.
"The government has no hope for any immediate relief...
Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on most US imports from India, making good on a threat to punish one of the world’s largest economies over its purchases of discounted Russian oil.
The tariffs, which came into effect just after midnight on Wednesday in Washington, risk inflicting significant damage on the Indian economy and further disrupting global supply chains.
US tariffs of 25% on Indian goods went into force earlier this month, but Trump announced plans to double the rate, citing New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, which the White House has...
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