August 17, 2025

President Donald Trump stirred the pot on Friday with some spicy news about US sanctions on Russian oil buyers. Speaking during a Fox News interview aboard Air Force One while heading for a serious summit with Vladimir Putin, Trump said the US might *not* slap secondary tariffs on countries still buying Russian crude oil. Trump explained, "Well, he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) lost an oil client, so to speak, which is India, which was doing about 40 per cent of the oil. China, as you know, is doing a lot...And if I did what's called a secondary sanction, or a secondary tariff, it would be very devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I'll do it. Maybe I won't have to do it." These remarks set off hopes in India, which was worried about getting hit by extra US sanctions over oil imports from Russia. In the tense backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, the US had been openly considering punishing countries that kept buying Russian oil. But Trump’s words suggest some flexibility might be in play. Just days earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added fuel to the urgency, saying if things go badly at the Trump-Putin summit, "secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil could go up." He told Bloomberg, "I think everyone has been frustrated with Russian President Putin. We expected that he would come to the table in a more fulsome way. It looks like he may be ready to negotiate." The high-stakes meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska ended without any fresh agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Still, Trump’s comment about possible leniency on secondary tariffs leaves the door slightly open for India and others still buying Russian oil to avoid the harshest punishments. So, the world waits to see what the US does next—will it play hardball or soften its stance? Meanwhile, India breathes a bit easier with Trump’s hint of no immediate secondary tariffs.

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Tags: Donald trump, Russia-ukraine war, Secondary sanctions, Russian oil, India, Us foreign policy,