‘If I did secondary sanctions now…’: Donald Trump touts forcing India off Russia crude

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that his tariff threats forced India to scale back Russian oil imports, boasting that Moscow had “lost a major client” after Washington doubled duties on Indian exports.

“Russia lost a major client for their oil, which was India. India was doing 40% of the oil trade. If I did secondary sanctions now, that would be devastating for them,” Trump told Fox News in an interview.

The comments come hours after Trump’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The two leaders met for nearly three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, with Trump calling the talks “very productive” but stressing “there is no deal until there is a deal.” Putin described the discussions as “constructive and useful,” while insisting Russia had “legitimate concerns” that must be addressed.

Trump has argued that tariffs on India’s Russian oil purchases were key leverage in pushing Putin to the table. “When you lose your second largest customer, and you’re probably going to lose your first largest customer, I think that probably has a role,” he said, in a reference to India and China — the two biggest buyers of Russian crude.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also warned New Delhi that “secondary tariffs could go up” if negotiations falter. While India has denied pausing its Russian oil imports, Trump insisted his tariff strategy is working and hinted that Beijing may also face similar pressure.

“All options are on the table,” Bessent said earlier this week, noting China remains Russia’s largest oil customer.

India, for its part, has condemned the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed not to compromise on farmers’ and fishermen’s interests despite the economic fallout.