Trump's focus on India is misplaced: House Democrats strongly criticize Russian oil dispute, say why did he leave China out?
Trump's decision to impose 50% tariffs on India has angered US Democrats. The House Foreign Affairs Committee called it detrimental to India-US relations. Concession to China and attack on India? Democrats targeted Trump and said - this policy is misguided, unrelated to the Ukraine war and harms American interests.
Trump India Tariff: Democrats on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee have reacted strongly to the 50% tariff imposed on India by President Donald Trump. The committee says that targeting only India not only confuses policy but is also damaging US-India relations. On the other hand, countries like China, which is the largest importer of energy from Russia, have been spared. Democrats criticized the Trump administration through a post on social media platform X and also said that this decision has no direct connection to the Ukraine war. They believe that this move is harming US interests and shows bias in foreign policy.
This policy doesn't seem to be about Ukraine
Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have called the Trump administration's decision to penalize only India for buying Russian oil misleading. They say it would be one thing if the Trump administration had threatened secondary sanctions on any country that buys Russian oil. But the decision to focus solely on India has resulted in perhaps the most confusing policy outcome. China, the largest importer of Russian energy, is still buying oil at discounted prices and has so far escaped such punishment. Democrats say the US policy lacks consistency and strategic clarity.
Trump's 50% tariff
An additional 25 percent duty has been imposed on imports from India under Executive Order 14329 issued by President Trump on August 6, 2025. This brings the total tariff to 50 percent. This decision will apply specifically to Indian products, which came into effect on August 27.
The US administration claims that this tariff has been imposed because India is buying oil and defense equipment from Russia at a discounted rate, which is financing Moscow's war machine and increasing aggression in Ukraine.
India signaled talks
According to Indian government sources, the possibility of talks between the two countries is still alive. Indian officials have described the current trade tensions as a temporary hiatus in the long-term strategic relationship with the US. The sources also said that India's diversified export base is able to withstand such shocks and its impact on the Indian economy will be limited.
