United States Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday quoted the Indian ambassador as having told him in a private conversation that India was buying less Russian oil, and had urged him to request US President Donald Trump to relax tariffs linked to such imports.
The punitive tariffs were introduced as part of Trump’s pressure campaign against countries purchasing discounted oil from Russia amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
In the presence of Trump, Graham told reporters that to end the conflict in Ukraine, the countries buying Russian oil needed to be pressured.
“I was at the Indian ambassador’s house about a month ago and all he wanted to talk about is how they’re buying less Russian oil,” Graham said. “‘Would you tell the president to relieve the tariff?’ This stuff works.”
Graham said: “So, I’m hoping we’ll bring the [tariff] bill up and it’s from 0 to 500. He [Trump] picks the number [tariff rate]. Nobody else does. But if you’re buying cheap Russian oil, keeping Putin’s war machine going, we’re trying to give the president the ability [through the bill] to make that a hard choice by tariffs.”
The Republican Senator said that he believes that what Trump “did with India is the chief reason India is now buying substantially less Russian oil”.
Without a…
Source: Indian ambassador said New Delhi is buying less Russian oil, urged Trump to cut tariffs: US senator
