Key Points

“Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is as much about showing off power as about economics. The irony is striking. While India is being targeted for buying Russian oil, EU countries quietly imported €21.9 billion in Russian fossil fuels last year—more than the €18.7 billion they sent in aid to Ukraine. The EU has been trying to reduce its dependency on Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict, yet the numbers remain high,” according to an article in the London Daily.

“So, is this really about energy morality—or is it messaging in a world order that’s in flux, where alliances, trade, and even climate priorities are shifting? Perhaps ego is also part of the story,” the article further states.

It highlights that the relations between the two countries soured when India refused to credit Trump for “stopping” the recent India-Pakistan flare-up.

Other media reports have also mentioned that Trump is singling out India because it has categorically pointed out that he had no role to play in the truce with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. India has made it clear that after the successful precision strikes that wiped out terrorist camps and damaged strategic air bases deep in Pakistani territory, Islamabad had requested a ceasefire. New Delhi had agreed to the proposal as Operation Sindoor had successfully accomplished the mission for which it was launched.

However, this runs contrary to Trump’s narrative of posing as a peacemaker who has brought several conflicts to an end worldwide since he came to power.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has been supporting this narrative and recommended Trump’s name for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of its cosying up to Washington.

The London Daily also mentions that “the situation got complicated further when Pakistan suggested nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, praising his supposed role in the ceasefire. India, unsurprisingly, stayed away from the fanfare. And Trump, who has often hinted that he deserved the Nobel, now faced a scenario that may have marked the final crack in a relationship that once seemed firmly on friendly footing.”

President Trump has also stated that the 25 per cent additional tariff is being imposed in the form of sanctions against India for buying Russian oil and is aimed at putting pressure on Moscow to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, India has made it clear that it has been buying Russian oil because it is in both national and global interest. These purchases have ensured low prices for Indian consumers and also prevented oil prices in the international market from shooting up, which would have imposed a heavy economic burden on all countries. In fact, the rationale for the US allowing India to buy Russian oil was to keep world prices in check.

Interestingly, while China buys more oil than India from Russia, the Trump administration has not imposed any punitive tariffs on the Asian economic giant.

- IANS