Trump doubles tariffs on India to 50%, stacking more import taxes on a big U.S. trading partner

President Donald Trump on Wednesday doubled tariffs on India to 50%, stacking another round of import taxes on a major U.S. trading partner over its continued purchases of Russian oil.

Trump has expressed anger with India for buying Russian oil, arguing it undermines his ability to secure a ceasefire with Moscow in the ongoing war in Ukraine. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” he recently wrote in a social media post.

Earlier this month, the president also lashed out at the high tariffs that India has historically maintained on its imports. The new executive order provides a green light for the additional tariffs to take effect in three weeks.

In a statement, the Indian government did not rule out imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products. It defended its Russian oil-buying as a necessary step to ensure energy security for its citizens and said other countries have done the same.

"We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson with India's Ministry of External Affairs, said. "India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests."

Notably, China and Turkey are large buyers of Russian oil as well, but they haven't been singled out by Trump in the same way for punitive tariffs.

India already faces a 25% tariff on its exports to the U.S. that is poised to kick in on Thursday, along with import taxes on dozens of other trading partners. The 50% total rate on India puts it on par with Brazil’s pending tariff, among the highest imposed yet in Trump’s multi-pronged trade wars.

Negotiations between India and the U.S. stretched through the year with none of the breakthroughs or skinny trade agreements announced with other foreign governments. U.S. trade with India totaled $212 billion in 2024, per data from the Office of the Trade Representative.