India will refuse Russian oil after Trump's tariffs, Zelenskyy's team says

India will refuse to buy Russian oil if the US leader Donald Trump will impose 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian resources, said in an interview with LIGA.net presidential commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk.

According to him, it is "difficult to quarrel with India" in the context of such sanctions, as this country is focused on mutually approved decisions: "Its position is very constructive, I would say."

"India buys Russian oil. We believe that they would be better off buying from someone else. Can they find a replacement? Of course, they can. They are taking a pragmatic approach to this issue. If they can buy more oil at a lower price, why not," the official added.

As a result, Vlasyuk believes that the Indian government will "realize where things are headed" and that sanctions against Moscow will be strengthened.

"So they [the Indians] will not put themselves in danger," said the president's representative.

• In September 2024, India's minister in charge of the issue stated that as long as Russian oil is not under sanctions, India will buy it due to the low price.
• However, he also assured in July 2025 that India can live without Russian oil if the US imposes secondary sanctions on countries that buy it.
• On July 30, Trump decided to impose a 25% tariff against India starting August 1, noting that this country buys most of its weapons from Moscow and is the largest buyer of its resources, while "everyone wants Russia to stop killing in Ukraine."
• On July 31, Reuters cited its sources as saying that Indian state-owned oil refineries have temporarily stopped purchasing Russian oil since last week.
• On August 1, Bloomberg, citing data from a ship tracking system, said that at least four oil tankers loaded with oil from Russia are waiting off the west coast of India, as procurement has come under scrutiny due to pressure from the United States and the European Union.