As tensions escalate over India’s oil trade with Russia, US President Donald Trump is set to deliver a key announcement from the Oval Office at 2 AM IST, the White House has confirmed. The move comes amid threats of steep new tariffs and geopolitical manoeuvring involving Moscow.
The announcement follows Trump’s warning of a sharp hike in tariffs on Indian goods within 24 hours, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil.
“India has not been a good trading partner. They buy a lot from us, but we don’t do business with them. We settled on 25 percent, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours,” Trump said in a CNBC interview.
Trump’s Oval Office address is expected to be watched closely by investors, trade partners, and foreign policy observers. With India unlikely to change its position and Moscow backing New Delhi, the address could have significant ramifications for global trade and diplomacy.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow, where he was received by Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The Kremlin has not ruled out a possible meeting between Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has said Witkoff’s visit forms part of a last-ditch diplomatic push to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine before Friday. He has also warned that further sanctions could be imposed on Russia if progress is not made.
On Monday, India launched a sharp rebuttal to criticism from the US and the EU over its Russian oil imports, calling the attacks “unjustified and unreasonable”.
“There are glaring double standards here,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “Both the US and the EU continue to trade with Russia, and unlike in India’s case, such trade is not driven by vital national compulsion.”
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Washington is considering secondary sanctions against countries or entities doing business with Russia.
When asked specifically about India and China continuing oil imports, Bruce said the final decision would lie with President Trump. “It will be up to the President to determine how to respond to those nations that are facilitating this war on Ukraine,” she said.
