America’s Self Righteous Indignation Is A Concern For India Today.

Washington; January 2026: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused European nations of indirectly financing the Russia-Ukraine war by purchasing oil products refined in India using Russian crude, even as Washington has imposed tariffs on New Delhi over its energy ties with Moscow.

His remarks come ahead of a high-level summit where India and the European Union are expected to formally announce the conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement.

Speaking to American Media Outlets in Washington DC, Bessent defended the Trump administration’s decision to levy steep duties on Indian imports, arguing that Europe’s continued energy-linked trade contradicts its stated security position.

“We have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India”, Bessent said. “And just to be clear again, the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves”, he added.

Bessent said the United States has imposed punitive tariffs and pushed for decoupling from Russian energy, while European governments continue to benefit from what he described as gaps in the global oil supply chain. He maintained that Washington has absorbed a larger share of the economic and political burden, while also working towards a negotiated settlement of the conflict. Under Trump’s leadership, Bessent said, “we will eventually end” the war.

The comments come amid renewed friction over trade and energy policy across the Atlantic, with Washington expressing frustration over what it views as Europe’s selective implementation of sanctions. The free trade agreement between India and the EU, first initiated in 2007, is expected to anchor a broader economic and strategic partnership as global trade dynamics shift.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods, including a 25% levy directly linked to India’s imports of Russian oil. These measures were doubled in August, further escalating trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi. However, Bessent recently indicated that tariff relief could be considered. Bessent has further asserted that Indian refinery purchases of Russian crude had declined significantly.

“Indian purchases by their refineries of Russian oil have collapsed. So that is a success. The tariffs are still on, 25% tariffs for Russian oil are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off”.

In the meantime, the historic EU-India trade pact likely to be accorded today exhibits a strategic reductions in import duties, on imported vehicles (non-electric) from the European countries, from 110% to 40%. By reducing the import duties on European Nations, India tries to balance the politico-economical architecture with Europe – who are the largest force to implement bans on Russia for its inhuman aggressions against Ukraine since 2022; while India priviledge to be the most favoured nation of Russia as always, although Cheap Russian Oil purchases have plummeted since the Trump administration have imposed sanction on India.

Team Maverick.