US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he may consider retaliatory tariffs on countries buying Russian oil in the coming weeks but ruled out taking immediate action.
The comments came shortly after his high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Addressing the media after the talks, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the summit had gone well. “Well, because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that (tariffs). Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks, but we don’t have to think about that right now,” he said.
Donald Trump Keeps All Options Open Regarding Additional Tariffs
Trump’s remarks were in response to a question on India’s oil purchases from Russia and the possibility of new tariffs on China. However, he did not make it clear whether he was referring specifically to retaliatory tariffs or to broader measures against countries trading with Moscow.
Last month, Trump announced that he would impose secondary sanctions on nations continuing to buy oil and other goods from Russia. At the time, he warned that tariffs could go up to 100 percent if Moscow did not agree to a deal to end the Ukraine war within 50 days. “We’re very, very unhappy with them. And we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal. Tariffs at about 100 percent, you’d call them secondary tariffs,” Trump had said then.
Ahead of the Alaska meeting, Trump also claimed that Russia had “lost an oil client – India” and warned that secondary sanctions would be “devastating” for Moscow. “If I have to do it, I’ll do it, maybe I won’t have to,” he said.
Earlier, Trump Imposed 50% Tariffs on India for Purchase of Russian Oil
In the weeks following that statement, Trump moved against India, announcing 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on the country, which he later doubled, citing New Delhi’s ongoing oil trade with Russia. Half of those tariffs have already taken effect, while the rest are scheduled for August 27.
Trump’s latest remarks also came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that secondary tariffs on India could be raised if the Alaska talks between Trump and Putin did not go well. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Bessent said, “We’ve put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And if things don’t go well, sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up.”
Also Read: Putin Says He And Trump Reached ‘Understanding’ On Ukraine, Warns Europe Not To…
