Unequal treatment reflects a cold combination of political and economic calculations. United States President Donald Trump threatened new sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Moscow's crude to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff, bringing total tariffs on India's goods to 50 percent, citing India's continued imports of Russian oil, while not imposing equivalent punitive measures on China. China imported a record 109 million tonnes of Russian oil last year; India imported 88 million tonnes in 2024. Lawmakers are pushing the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 to target countries buying Russian oil, potentially authorizing 500 percent tariffs.
Unequal treatment reflects a cold combination of political and economic calculations. United States President Donald Trump has threatened to slap new sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Moscow's crude in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. While Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff earlier this month to a total of 50 percent on India's goods, citing its continued imports of Russian oil, he has not instigated similar punitive actions against China, the largest buyer of Russian energy.
As the largest purchaser of Russian oil, China imported a record 109 million tonnes of this product last year, representing nearly 20 percent of its total energy imports, Chinese customs data showed. India, by contrast, imported 88 million tonnes of Russian oil in 2024. As such, China has arguably been Russia's key economic lifeline, leading to accusations that Beijing is indirectly helping Moscow in its war on Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
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