New Delhi will end up buying more American oil thanks to pressure from Washington, Scott Bessent has claimed
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused India and China of being the “real culprits” behind the continuation of the Ukraine conflict due to their purchases of Russian oil.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Bessent said the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to resolve a situation that he blamed on the Asian giants.
“We were doing a lot on Russia,” he said. “But the real culprits here have been China and India in terms of buying Russian oil. They’re keeping the Russian war machine going.”
Russia has become a major supplier of oil to India since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, while China is the world’s largest importer of Russian crude.
The Trump administration has levied 50% tariffs on most imports from India, which includes a 25% penalty for India’s purchases of Russian oil and defense equipment.
The US has not imposed any penalties on China for buying Russian oil, but trade relations between Washington and Beijing remain tense. On Thursday, China further tightened restrictions on exports of rare-earth minerals to the US, ahead of expected talks later this month between President Xi Jinping and Trump.
In his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York last month, Trump accused New Delhi and Beijing of “funding” the Ukraine conflict through Russian energy imports. Both Asian countries have called Washington’s approach unacceptable and have refused to bow to US pressure.
Bessent told Fox News on Thursday that the world will soon see a “rebalancing” where India will buy more American oil, on account of the punitive tariffs. “And if we were to do the same thing on China, I think the war would end quickly, but we need our NATO or European allies to join us,” he said.
Bessent’s comments are the latest in a series of statements by US officials targeting New Delhi.
In September, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that India will ultimately yield to US pressure regarding tariffs, adding that New Delhi cannot afford to defy Washington for long.
