Russia offers India ‘special mechanism’ to keep buying its oil, amid Trump tariff threat

The US has threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing its purchase of Russian oil, which Trump says funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine

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A view shows a pressure gauge near oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:33pm, 20 Aug 2025Updated: 10:57pm, 20 Aug 2025

Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India thanks to a “special mechanism” despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China.

US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 per cent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil, which constitutes 35 per cent of India’s total imports compared with a negligible 0.2 per cent before the Ukraine war.

A top aide to Donald Trump earlier this month accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying oil from Moscow.

“I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import [by India],” Roman Babushkin, the charge d’affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told a press briefing.

He predicted India and Russia would find ways to overcome Trump’s latest tariffs in their “national interests”.

Trade talks between India and the US broke down over the opening up of India’s vast farm and dairy sectors, as well as its purchases of Russian oil. The total tariff announced on Indian goods entering the US is 50 per cent.

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