U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, August 16, 2025, appeared to rule out imposing additional tariffs on countries importing oil from Russia. However, he indicated that this could be reconsidered in the next two to three weeks.
Donald Trump on Tariff: U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday (August 16, 2025) that he may consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on countries that are buying oil from Russia in the next two to three weeks. However, he denied the immediate need for it at the moment. Trump said in an interview that because of what happened today, I don't think I need to think about this (tariff) right now. Maybe I'll have to think about it in two or three weeks. This statement comes after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
No Need to Impose Tariffs Now: Trump
In the interview, Trump stated: Because of what happened today, I don't think we need to consider raising tariffs at the moment. Maybe we'll have to think in this direction in two or three weeks. This statement is significant because in the past few months, the Trump administration has warned of taking strict action against countries importing energy from Russia.
India is among the countries that have directly felt the impact of the Trump administration's policies. Trump had previously imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on India. But citing the reason of buying oil from Russia, it was increased to 50%. Half of these duties have already been implemented, while the remaining will take effect from August 27, 2025.
Trump says that countries like India and China are harming American interests by trading with Russia. Therefore, if there is no concrete progress in the coming weeks, Secondary Sanctions could be imposed.
Finance Minister's Stern Warning
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, said that if the Trump-Putin talks in Alaska do not yield positive results, the government will not hesitate to impose additional tariffs on India. Bessent criticized India's attitude, saying that New Delhi is adopting a "stubborn stance" in the ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S. He indicated that if India does not change its energy import policy, it may face even greater economic pressure.
The Trump administration recently threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Russia. At the same time, the Putin government was given 50 days to end the Ukraine war. The aim of this strategy is to weaken Russia economically and bring it to the negotiating table. Major energy importing countries like India and China have been warned that they could face U.S. sanctions if they continue to buy crude oil from Moscow.
