‘Causes a rift with India’: Trump on imposing tariffs on New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil

US President Donald Trump said imposing tariffs on India for buying Russian oil is not an easy thing to do and it “causes a rift with India.”

“Look, India was their biggest customer. I put a 50 per cent tariff on India because they’re buying oil from Russia. That’s not an easy thing to do. That’s a big deal and it causes a rift with India,” Trump said in an interview with ‘Fox and Friends’ on Friday, when asked what clamping down on Russian President Vladimir Putin entails.

“But I’ve already done it. I’ve done a lot. And remember this is a Europe problem much more than our problem,” Trump added.

In the interview, Trump also repeated his claim that he has solved seven conflicts so far in his second term as President.

“I solved seven wars. I did so many, including Pakistan and India, but big ones, some were unsolvable, Congo and Rwanda. I solved it. It was going on for 31 years, millions of people killed. I solve wars that were unsolvable,” he said.

Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.