Regarding India’s response to President Donald Trump’s threats to apply punitive tariffs for purchasing Russian oil, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment.
Asked by a reporter on Tuesday about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s comments, she said, “I will not characterise or remark on another nation’s comments about what they will or will not do”.
She added with a touch of irony, “I can barely do that here”. But she added a criticism of India’s oil purchases, saying Trump “is the guiding hand, and when it comes to what Russia is doing and those nations that are facilitating this war on Ukraine, it will be up to President Trump about how to respond”.
Bruce was speaking at the regular press briefing that followed Trump’s announcement on Friday that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on India within 24 hours for purchasing Russian oil and reselling its products.
He claimed, “They are purchasing Russian oil and supplying the Russian war machine with fuel.”
EAM Jaishankar said on Monday in an implied criticism of the tariff threat, but without mentioning Trump, “We live in complicated and uncertain times. Our collective desire is to see a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few”.
The External Affairs Ministry said, “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security”.
It also attacked the inherent double standards in singling out India, pointing out that the European Union’s Russia trade was $67.5 billion, and Washington was also importing uranium, palladium, fertilisers and other chemicals.
Nikki Haley, a former US cabinet-level permanent representative to the UN who ran against Trump for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, also brought up the singling out of India, warning it might “burn” ties with “strong ally” New Delhi.
“India should not be purchasing oil from Russia,” she wrote on X. However, a tariff delay of 90 days was granted to China, an enemy and the largest purchaser of Iranian and Russian oil. Don’t overlook China and ruin ties with a powerful ally like India.
Bruce explained and defended Trump’s use of secondary tariffs, the tariff penalty, saying that Trump has a variety of instruments at his disposal.
“This is one of them that he (and he) has invested a lot of money in and will continue to invest in in order to stop the wars and conflicts around the world,” she stated.
“And naturally, as a businessman, he enjoys using the tools that can have an impact on the countries we typically deal with,” she said.
She went on to say, “It is about economy.” And that’s a pretty particular strategy. It is something that all nations can comprehend.
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