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US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has made a big claim during the discussion on 500% tariff bill. He said that under the pressure of ‘25% tariff’ imposed by Trump, India has stopped buying oil from Russia. This statement simply means that the threat of ‘500% tariff’ looming over India can now be averted. However the reality is something else.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. (Image:AP)Is the threat of 500% tariff looming over India now averted? The claim now made by Donald Trump’s aide and US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant indicates the same. Speaking on the 500% tariff bill, Besant said, ‘President Trump had imposed 25% tariff on India for buying oil from Russia. Due to this, India reduced its purchases and has now stopped buying oil from Russia. The gist of his statement is that what Trump wanted has been accomplished, that is, India has stopped buying oil from Russia under pressure. Besant’s claim is false because India has neither reduced nor stopped the purchase of oil. But if America believes this then it may not use the Brahmastra of ‘500% tariff’ against India.
Besant was presenting this as a victory for Trump’s strategy, which is called ‘tariff diplomacy’. The main fear of the Trump administration was that India and China Like countries are moving closer to Russia and promoting ‘de-dollarization’. If Besant is accepting that India has stopped buying oil from Russia, then it means that in the eyes of Washington, India has accepted that fact. However the reality is something else.
The reality is something else…
Besant claims that India has stopped buying oil from Russia, but energy market data shows that India is still buying oil from Russia, although the quantity has fluctuated. According to data analytics company Kpler, in the first fortnight of this month, India bought an average of 11.8 lakh barrels of oil per day from Russia. This is about 30% less than the average of the same period last year and 2025. Even compared to December, imports have decreased by about 3%.
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Mr. Gyanendra Kumar Mishra is associated with hindi.news18.com. working on home page. He has 20 yrs of rich experience in journalism. He Started his career with Amar Ujala then worked for ‘Hindustan Times Group…read more
