Trump rows back threat of 'secondary tariffs' against India and China after Putin summit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Sunday 17 August 2025 04:10 BST


US president Donald Trump has played down the prospect of imposing so-called "secondary tariffs" on buyers of Russian oil after his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump had proposed the levies as a new way of pressuring Russia's war-time economy if it failed to stop its invasion of Ukraine, and they were largely due to impact China and India, by far the two biggest buyers of Russian crude.

Mr Trump earlier this month doubled duties on Indian products to 50 per cent after imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff for buying Russian oil, kicking off from 27 August. New Delhi was facing the risk of even higher tariffs if Mr Trump's summit in Alaska failed to end Russia's war in Ukraine after the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that "secondary tariffs could go up" if things don't go well at the meeting.

In recent days, Mr Trump has expressed his anger with India for its refusal to stop buying oil from Russia. He has accused India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine by purchasing discounted crude from Moscow.

China remains the largest market for Russian oil exports. However, raising tariffs on Beijing threatens to break a delicate truce deal between China and the US after it was extended for another 90 days. The truce saw both countries lowering tariffs on each other's goods after the trade war between the two biggest economies threatened to upend global markets.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/trump-india-secondary-tariffs-russia-oil-b2808864.html

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(forgot to add the reminder )

[BoRaGard]

1. Pooty got the TACO back in line quickly

such an obedient G.O.P. golf cheat

[marble falls]

2. TACO TACOs.

[mdbl]

3. WTF!! Were they having sex in that limo?

Dump is such an asshole.

[DallasNE]

4. That Is The One Time Putin Would Come Up On The Short End Of The Stick. nt

[thesquanderer]

7. Yes. So much winning. (n/t)

[DallasNE]

5. I Couldn't Understand How Trump Could Collect The Secondary Tariffs.

So Trump boosted the primary tariffs on India, and then India retaliated. There went those F-35 sales. Trump's simplistic solutions always seem to backfire.

[thesquanderer]

8. The primary tariffs on India WERE the secondary tariffs, on Russia.

We can't directly tariff Russia on their oil, because we don't buy it (due to sanctions). The idea is that we'd then tariff India *because* they're buying oil from Russia, to pressure them to stop buying it. It is an indirect tariff on Russia, or you might say it's "a primary tariff, once removed." So yes, technically it is a direct (primary) tariff on India, but the *target* of the tariff is still Russia, that's what makes it a "secondary" tariff on them, since the intended damage is coming at them indirectly, through another party (India).

[DallasNE]

10. Yes, I Understand That

Russia sells crude oil to India at a contracted price and the owner of the ship charges a transportation fee. The US is not directly a party to the transaction but they set a tariff price on the oil. But where in this transaction does the US get the leverage to make anyone pay this tariff? India pays Russia for the oil and the transportation company to ship it. Who pays the extortion (tariff)? That is what I don't understand, nor where the leverage comes from to make them pay the tariff.

[thesquanderer]

11. No, U.S. is not setting a tariff on the oil. The tariff would be on other goods coming from India to the U.S.,

as "punishment" for buying Russian oil. This hurts the Indian economy by making their goods that much more difficult to sell in the U.S., by making them so much more expensive. That's where the leverage comes from. Essentially saying to India, "stop buying Russian oil, and we will re-open these American markets to you on more favorable terms." The secondary impact is, if India indeed stops buying Russian oil, it hurts the Russian economy, which would be the actual goal of this policy. The idea being that while not tariffing Russia directly, they (the "secondary" target, if you will) would be the ones to ultimately feel the impact.

[Ray Bruns]

6. Good ole TACO

[erpowers]

9. Taco

I know it is likely already happening on social media, but it would be good if every time Trump did something like this many people would just type taco.