Donald Trump Aide Hints At Slashing India By 25% Tariffs, Cites Fall In Russian Oil Purchases

New Delhi: A big signal regarding tariffs has emerged amid the ongoing trade talks between India and America. A senior official of the Donald Trump administration has said that a way may be found to reduce the 50 percent import duty imposed on India. This statement has come at a time when different types of signals are being received regarding trade talks between the two countries.

In August 2025, America had doubled the duty on imports from India to 50 percent, and the reason for this was given to India-Russia energy relations. Now from the statement of Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, it is believed that this decision may be reviewed again.

Why did America indicate it would reduce tariffs?

Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said in an interview that Indian refineries have made major cuts in purchases of Russian oil. According to him, this was the issue on the basis of which an additional 25 percent tariff was imposed on India.

What did Scott Besant say directly?

Besant said that there has been a decline in the purchase of Russian oil by India, and this can be seen as a success of America's policy. He also acknowledged that tariffs are currently in place, but there is a way to remove them.

Breaking: US Treasury Secretary says 25% tariff penalty on India could be removed

"Our 25% tariff on India has been a huge success. Indian purchases of Russian oil have collapsed. The tariffs are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off now" pic.twitter.com/o2GHLnSCjT

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) January 24, 2026

When and for what reason were 50 percent tariffs imposed?

In August 2025, Donald Trump had increased tariffs on many countries. During the same period, the import duty on India was also increased from 25 percent to 50 percent. At that time America had cited India's energy trade with Russia as the reason.

Are India-US trade talks making progress?

Besant's statement indicates that some progress has been made in the talks between the two countries. This is different from the statement in which US Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick said that the potential trade deal did not move forward.

What did Howard Latnick say in the controversial statement?

Latnik had claimed in a podcast that the deal got stuck due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not contacting Donald Trump. India immediately rejected this claim.

What signals did the new US ambassador give?

The new US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gore, had said that talks regarding trade between the two countries are still going on. From this it was believed that the talks have not stopped completely.

Why are questions being raised regarding India-Russia oil trade?

Before Scott Besant, Donald Trump had also claimed that India has reduced oil purchases from Russia to a great extent. After these statements, speculations regarding India-Russia energy relations have intensified.

Has India confirmed it will stop buying oil from Russia?

The Indian government never officially said that it had stopped purchasing oil from Russia. India had also rejected one of Trump's claims in October 2025.

What could happen next regarding tariffs?

After the statement of the US Treasury Secretary, it is believed that additional tariffs imposed on India may be reduced in the coming time. However, the final decision on this will depend on the outcome of trade talks.

What does this signal mean for India?

If there is relief in tariffs, Indian exporters can benefit greatly. Besides, this will also be considered a sign of reducing tension in India-US trade relations.