India buying Russian oil ‘point of irritation’ in our relationship, says Marco Rubio

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that India's continued import of Russian oil is still a "point of irritation" in its bilateral relationship with Washington, although both countries have a robust strategic partnership.

He said this amid revelations that his White House counterpart Donald Trump has slapped a 25% tariff along with a surcharge on Indian imports yesterday, warning New Delhi and Moscow against damaging free trade agreements through excessive trade barriers.

Speaking to Fox Radio, Rubio clarified the complexity of the U.S.-India alliance, stating, “Look, India is an ally. It’s a strategic partner. Like anything in foreign policy, you’re not going to align 100 per cent of the time on everything.”

He acknowledged India’s pressing energy demands and the role Russian exports play in meeting them. "India has vast energy requirements, and that encompasses the capability to purchase oil and coal and gas and whatnot that it must fuel its economy, just like every nation does. And it purchases it from Russia, because Russian oil is sanctioned and low-cost, so they must, in most instances, are selling below the world price due to their sanctions. Yep.". And that, sadly, that is supporting the Russian war effort. So it is certainly a point of frustration in our relationship with India," he said.

The secretary's comments came soon after Trump made a declaration on his platform, Truth Social, where the former president stated that India would be hit with a new 25% tariff on imports and an additional financial penalty starting August 1.

"ALL BAD THINGS! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE FORCING A TARIFF OF 25%, IN ADDITION TO A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, BEGINNING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ON THIS ISSUE. MAGA!" Trump tweeted.

Trump went on to lash out against India's trade policies, saying the nation was using "the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers" in the world. He argued that these barriers had for a long time limited the breadth of economic interactions between the two countries.

Keep in mind, while India is a friend, we have done relatively little business with them over the years because their tariffs are much too high," he said.

He also referred to India's long-time defense and energy relationships with Russia, taking issue with the timing amidst the war in Ukraine. "While everybody is wanting Russia to cut the killing in Ukraine, these are not good things. India has always purchased most of its military equipment from Russia and is one of the biggest purchasers of Russian energy, China being the other one," Trump said.