Big relief for India as Trump says, 'no secondary sanctions on Russia oil buyers'
PTC News Desk: In a major relief for India, US President Trump said that he was not immediately considering to impose additional sanctions on Russia and its trade partners. However he emphasised that he might reconsider the decision in another 2-3 weeks.
Trump on secondary tariffs: "Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about it. I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now. I think the meeting went very well." pic.twitter.com/OAZgaotTY7 — The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) August 16, 2025
"I may have to think about it (sanctions) in two or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that immediately," the US President, who had just days ago adopted an aggressive tone against Russia, said.
"If I did secondary sanctions now, that would be devastating for them," Trump further said, without elaborating on his future actions.
After slapping a 25% reciprocal tariff on India, Trump further surprised New Delhi by adding another 25% duty on Indian goods over its ongoing purchase of Russian oil, effectively doubling the import tariff to 50%.
He also cautioned that countries continuing to buy Russian crude could face secondary sanctions, pointing out that China and India remain Moscow’s biggest energy customers.
In the run-up to the Alaska summit, Trump claimed that his punitive tariffs on India had pressured Russia into seeking talks with him, as Moscow was losing its “second-largest buyer.”
- With inputs from agencies
