US-Russia Trade / Trump trapped in his own trick! On doing business with Russia, he said- I don't know

US-Russia Trade: During a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that he had no knowledge that the US imports chemicals and fertilizers from Russia. The statement came in response to India's claim that the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry, fertilizers and chemicals. "I don't know anything about that. We'll have to look into it," Trump said in response to a question posed by ANI.

Trump's new threat

Trump's statement came after his announcement on Monday, in which he posted on Truth Social, that the US will "substantially increase" tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Trump claimed that India is not only buying huge quantities of Russian oil, but also selling it on the open market at huge profits, and does not care about the effects of the Russian war machine in Ukraine. "That's why I will be substantially increasing the tariffs on India paying to the US," he said.

India's strong response

India strongly opposed Trump's statement and the Ministry of External Affairs termed it "unreasonable and absurd". India clarified that its imports from Russia are based on market needs and energy security, especially after the Ukraine conflict when Western countries diverted traditional supplies to Europe. India said it started importing from Russia because the US itself encouraged such imports to strengthen the stability of global energy markets.

India said in its statement, "Our aim is to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs for Indian consumers. This is an imperative requirement due to the global market situation. However, it highlights that the countries criticizing India are themselves involved in trade with Russia, which, unlike our case, has no significant national obligation."

EU and Russia trade

India also pointed out that the EU's bilateral trade with Russia reached 67.5 billion euros in 2024, including 16.5 million tonnes of LNG. This trade is much more than India's trade volume with Russia. India stressed that it will take all necessary steps to protect its national interests and economic security.