Indian ambassador said New Delhi is buying less Russian oil, urged Trump to cut tariffs: US senator

United States Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday quoted the Indian ambassador as having told him in a private conversation that India was buying less Russian oil, and had urged him to request US President Donald Trump to relax tariffs linked to such imports.

The punitive tariffs were introduced as part of Trump’s pressure campaign against countries purchasing discounted oil from Russia amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

In the presence of Trump, Graham told reporters that to end the conflict in Ukraine, the countries buying Russian oil needed to be pressured.

“I was at the Indian ambassador’s house about a month ago and all he wanted to talk about is how they’re buying less Russian oil,” Graham said. “‘Would you tell the president to relieve the tariff?’ This stuff works.”

Graham said: “So, I’m hoping we’ll bring the [tariff] bill up and it’s from 0 to 500. He [Trump] picks the number [tariff rate]. Nobody else does. But if you’re buying cheap Russian oil, keeping Putin’s war machine going, we’re trying to give the president the ability [through the bill] to make that a hard choice by tariffs.”

The Republican Senator said that he believes that what Trump “did with India is the chief reason India is now buying substantially less Russian oil”.

Without a trade deal with Washington, Indian goods are facing a combined US tariff rate of 50%. A 25% so-called reciprocal duty was imposed on August 7, followed by an additional 25% punitive levy on August 27.

The US president has repeatedly alleged that India’s purchases were helping fund Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Reacting to Graham’s comments, Trump on Sunday told reporters that the US could raise tariffs on India if New Delhi does not cut Russian oil imports.

“They wanted to make me happy, basically…” Trump told reporters.

“Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi’s a very good man,” the US president said. “He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”

Trump added that his administration expected greater support from the Indian government in reducing purchases of Russian oil.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs or the embassy in Washington have not yet commented on the remarks made by Trump and Graham. New Delhi has maintained that ensuring stable energy prices and secure supplies were the goals of India’s energy policy.

In November, Trump said that Washington will bring down the tariffs imposed on India “at some point” and claimed that New Delhi has substantially reduced its purchase of Russian oil.

On Sunday, The Hindu reported that India’s Russian oil imports had risen to a six-month high in volume and value in November. However, India also increased its purchases of oil from the US to a seven-month high that month, the report added.

Opposition alleges ‘silent submission’ by Centre

Quoting Trump’s claim that India had reduced its oil imports from Russia “because Modi wants to keep him happy”, the Congress said that India deserved an independent foreign policy and “not silent submission”.

Modi must answer whether India’s foreign policy was “now being dictated” by the US and if the decision to reduce Russian oil imports had been taken to “appease Trump”, the Opposition party demanded.

“Why should the nation pay the price for Modi’s weakness?” the Congress asked. “Why does Modi appear so intimidated by Trump?”

Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj described the comments by Trump and Graham as “national shame”, adding that Washington was “making fun of India”.

“They are bragging how President Trump arm-twisted PM Modi to reduce their oil buying from Russia,” Bharadwaj said on social media.