Washington, DC, August 16
House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats said that imposing tariffs on India would not stop Russian President Vladimir Putin or end the conflict in Ukraine.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems urged that, to address that issue, US President Donald Trump must provide Ukraine with the aid it needs and punish Putin directly.
"Tariffing India won't stop Putin. If Trump really wanted to address Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, maybe punish Putin and give Ukraine the military aid it needs. Everything else is smoke and mirrors," the organisation said in a post on X.
https://x.com/HouseForeign/status/1956386443619598806
The committee also uploaded an interview with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which he said that if the tariffs on India did not deter Russia, more secondary tariffs could follow.
"We've put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see if things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up," Bessent said, adding that Trump would make it clear to Putin what all options are there on the table.
"I'm not going to get ahead of the president, but the president is the best at creating leverage for himself, and he will make it clear to President Putin that all options are on the table," he said.
Bessent described sanctions as a dynamic factor, subject to change.
"Sanctions can go up. They can be loosened. They can have a definitive life. They can go on indefinitely. You know, there's this Russian shadow fleet of ships around the world that I think we could crack down on them. President Trump is meeting with President Putin and the Europeans are in the wings, harping about how he should do it, what he should do it," he said.
He said that the Europeans must also join the US in sanctions.
"But the Europeans need to join us in these sanctions. The Europeans need to be willing to put on these secondary sanctions. I was at the G7 meeting in Canada with President Trump and the Europeans kept talking about Senator Graham's bill to do the secondary tariffs. And I looked at all the leaders around the table and I said, is everyone at this table willing to put a 200% secondary tariff on China. And you know what? Everybody wanted to see what kind of shoes they were wearing," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some sense in US politics! Tariffs on India make no difference to Putin. The West needs to stop this bullying and work on actual solutions. India is a sovereign nation, not their puppet.
The US keeps lecturing others while selling weapons to both sides. Hypocrisy at its finest! India must stand firm and protect its national interests.
As an American living in Delhi, I agree with the Democrats here. Punishing India won't solve anything. The focus should be on direct action against Russia and supporting Ukraine properly.
The West needs to understand - India has 1.4 billion people to feed. We can't afford expensive oil just to please their geopolitical games. First world problems vs our survival needs!
While I support Ukraine, these constant threats against India are counterproductive. The US should appreciate that we've maintained a balanced position despite pressure from all sides.
The Europeans are quick to lecture but slow to act. Why should India bear the brunt when they're still buying Russian gas through back channels? Double standards everywhere! 😤
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