Trump doubles India tariff as punishment for buying Russian oil

London: US President Donald Trump has targeted Russia and India in a new move to force a ceasefire in Ukraine, as he reveals plans to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin to try to end the war.

Trump signed an executive order to double tariffs on India to 50 per cent within three weeks for buying Russian oil, days after the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against the economic penalty.

Trump claimed progress in the talks on a ceasefire, however, and could meet Putin face-to-face as early as next week, The New York Times reported, as well as holding separate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The meetings would position Trump as the key go-between in peace talks with Putin and Zelensky, and the US president suggested the Russian and Ukrainian leaders might agree to the plan.

“There’s a very good prospect that they will,” he told reporters.

The higher tariff on India heightens economic pressure on Russia by penalising one of its largest oil customers, but risks undermining years of American diplomatic work to form the “Quad” security partnership with India, alongside Japan and Australia.

Trump spared China from the secondary tariffs despite its purchases of Russian oil, however, and arranged for the additional tariff on India to start in 21 days, allowing time for more talks with Putin over a ceasefire.

The decision came shortly before Trump’s sweeping tariffs came into force across dozens of countries, amid fears of slower economic growth in target countries, higher prices for American consumers and cost pressures for American manufacturers who rely on imports.

While there has been speculation about a proposal from Moscow to end missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, there was no sign of significant progress towards peace after Trump named Friday, August 8, as a deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, local time, to discuss Trump’s threat to intensify sanctions and tariffs on Russia and its allies unless there was a significant move towards a ceasefire.

Witkoff’s long-awaited meeting with Putin lasted for about three hours, with Trump suggesting on social media there was a good outcome.

“Great progress was made!” the president said of the talks in Moscow.

“Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

White House official Pete Navarro, a top adviser to Trump on trade, was scathing of India in remarks after the tariff decision.

“American dollars buy Indian products, and that sets in motion a situation where those dollars finance a war which then requires American taxpayers to pay for defending against the Russian armaments,” he said. “That kind of trade just doesn’t work.”

Trump warned last week that Putin had 10 days to act on peace with Ukraine or face mammoth secondary tariffs, scaling up the economic threat to Russia after more than three years of war.

The US president has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace, airing his concerns at a press conference with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland on July 29.

He set a 50-day deadline for Putin in early July, giving the Russian leader until September 2 to stop firing missiles and drones at Ukrainian civilians and agree to a peace deal, before adjusting the timeline to August 8.

“There’s no reason in waiting,” he said in Scotland.

The president has repeatedly expressed frustration that the Russian leader would make claims about peace in their private conversations, but continue bombing Ukraine at night.

“Russia could be so rich, instead they spend all their money on war,” Trump said at the appearance with Starmer. “I thought he’d want to end this thing quickly, but every time I think it’s going to end, he kills people.”

Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine – an idea that was mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin.

Zelensky said Russian missiles and drones continued to attack targets overnight, including a recreational facility in Zaporizhzhia.

“Twelve people have been injured. As of now, sadly, two people are confirmed dead,” he said on X.

“Also at night, there were vicious attacks on power grids in the Dnipro region, a drone-dropped munition targeting civilians in Kherson, and a strike on a gas facility in Novosilske, Odesa region. Hundreds of families were left without gas. In the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, the Russians targeted people’s private homes.

“No matter what the Kremlin says, they will only genuinely seek to end the war once they feel adequate pressure.”

With Michael Koziol and Reuters

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