Nikki Haley Urges Trump Administration to Not ‘Burn’ Ties With ‘Strong Ally’ India Over Russian Oil

Former US Ambassador to the UN and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has voiced her support for India even as she criticised the US government’s “pass” to China amid President Donald Trump’s trade tirade and recent tariff threats against key trading partner India.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Haley called out the “double standards” on the US trade policy, and wrote a satirical message, stating, “India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.”

Haley’s comments come as President Donald Trump reignited trade tensions by threatening to raise tariffs on India “substantially in the next 24 hours,” CNBC reported on Tuesday.

Trump Threatens India Over Russian Oil

Speaking to the American media network’s Squawk Box on Tuesday, Trump said, “I think I am going to raise India’s tariffs substantially in the next 24 hours.”

Trump has repeatedly accused India of profiting from cheap Russian crude, claiming on Truth Social that the country was “selling Russian oil on the open market for big profits.” He also accused New Delhi of being indifferent to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs hit back, defending New Delhi’s decision to purchase discounted Russian oil as a matter of national interest.

“India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict,” the MEA said.

With inflation and energy security at stake, the MEA argued that it was being unfairly targeted while the United States and the European Union continued trade with Moscow.

Strategic Autonomy Stressed

Without directly naming Trump, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made it clear, “Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar backed the stance, saying India supports a “fair global order, not one dominated by a few.”

Earlier this week, Trump advisor Stephen Miller had also ramped up the US President’s rhetoric, suggesting that India’s oil deals were “funding Russia’s war”.

Meanwhile, Trump is also weighing steep new tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, further fears of escaltion in an already tense trade environment.

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