Why India won’t bend on Russian oil despite Trump’s tariff sting

For months, Indian and American trade officials haggled over things like tariffs and import quotas, trying to work out an agreement both sides could live with. President Donald Trump, intent on closing a $44 billion trade deficit with India, threatened to impose tariffs on Indian goods sent to America.

Then, Trump brought Russia into it.

He berated India for its purchases of Russian energy, posting on social media that the nation was “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.”