August 8, 2025

US President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell on Wednesday, saying the new secondary tariffs on India are really a warning shot aimed at China. At a White House event, when asked why India was singled out while China buys more Russian oil, Trump calmly said, "It's okay...it's okay" before revealing there will be many more secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and gas. "It's only been eight hours (since he announced secondary tariffs on India) so let's see what happens...you're going to see a lot more. You're going to see so much secondary sanctions," Trump declared. When asked if China might face similar penalties, Trump replied, "It may happen. I don't know, I can't tell you yet. But we did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others, one of them could be China." This move has sparked lively debate. Trump’s approach towards China is called out by many, even allies like Steve Bannon. Trump, once mocked as the “Putin Puppet,” has suddenly turned tough on Russia too. It seems he sees China as holding the strongest cards rather than the US. Trump himself admitted that India is the second largest buyer of Russian oil after China, saying, "They're very close to China in terms of the purchase of oil from Russia." Surprisingly, while India is being hit with a steep 25% secondary tariff starting August 27, Trump hinted this might shake Russia and China enough to get them back to talks with the US. "I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but we've had very productive talks today," he said, referring to envoy Steve Witkoff's talks in Moscow. Trump also confirmed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned in the coming days, but cautioned about the outcome, remembering past disappointments. This bold strategy seems to use tariffs on India as a power play to split energy ties between Russia and China, hoping it will help end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, a US trade delegation will visit India just before the tariffs kick in, adding more drama to this complex global chess game. Will India stand firm or buckle under pressure? Only time will tell.

Read More at Timesofindia →

Tags: Donald trump, Us tariffs, India-russia oil trade, China, Secondary sanctions, Russian oil,