The Democratic Party in the United States on Wednesday said that the 50% tariff, including a 25% penalty, imposed by President Donald Trump on India for importing Russian oil was “sabotaging” relations between New Delhi and Washington.

“It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all,” the Democrats who are part of the House Foreign Affairs Committee added.

The statement came on the day when the 50% tariff rate on goods imported from India to the US took effect.

The Democrat representatives on the committee said that “instead of imposing sanctions on China or others purchasing larger amounts of Russian oil, Trump’s singling out India with tariffs, hurting Americans and sabotaging the US-India relationship in the process”.

The Trump administration had announced on August 6 that it would double the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the Ukraine war. A 25% so-called reciprocal tariff had already taken effect.

The US president has repeatedly alleged that India’s imports were fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Bloomberg on Wednesday that the Russia-Ukraine conflict was “[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s war”, repeating accusations that New Delhi is funding the Kremlin’s military campaign.

In an interview with the American news network, Navarro said that by purchasing Russian oil “at a discount”, India was helping Russia and harming the US, which in turn has to finance Ukrainian defence.

On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also told Fox Business that the relationship between New Delhi and Washington is “very complicated” and that he hoped that “at the end of the day, we will come together”.

Negotiators from both countries had completed a fifth round of talks in Washington in July. The next round, scheduled for Monday, was abruptly cancelled.

On Monday, Modi said that his government would not succumb to pressure from the secondary tariffs. “No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand it,” the prime minister said. “My government will never let harm come the way of small entrepreneurs, farmers, livestock rearers.”

New Delhi had also previously said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the US’ actions were “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

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