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India imports Russian oil but sells diesel to Ukraine: New report flips script on Trump tariffs

Latest report from Ukraine counters US pressure and tariffs on India for buying Russian crude, underscoring India's strategic importance and foreign policy neutrality.

US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [Representative collage from AFP photos]

A new report by Ukrainian oil market analytics firm NaftoRynok revealed that refined fuel from India accounted for more than 15 per cent of all of Ukraine’s total diesel imports in July 2025.

These revelations kick US President Donald Trump’s excuses on slapping punitive tariffs on India out of the water. As the US looks to punish India for buying Russian crude, it is India’s diesel that, in part, powers the Ukrainian economy.

For the month, daily deliveries from India to Ukraine averaged around 2,700 tons, cited Moneycontrol. In the first seven months of 2025, India expanded its share of diesel supply to Ukraine to 10.2 per cent.

In contrast, it was just 1.9 per cent a year ago in the same period.

Apart from India, the other major diesel suppliers to Ukraine are Slovakia (matching India’s 15 per cent), Greece (around 13 per cent), Turkey (over 12 per cent), and Lithuania (more than 11 per cent). However, compared to them, India’s jump in year-on-year shipments is alarming.

Reports suggest that most of the Indian fuel reached Ukraine through the Danube from Romania, and through the Opet terminal in Turkey as tanker shipments.

This report came at the heels of the American Jewish Committee, the religious advocacy group, blasting US policymakers for singling out India for Russian crude oil purchases.

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The body said that India was “not responsible” for the Ukraine crisis, like Trump claimed.

Washington, of late, has stepped up its attack on India, claiming that the country funded Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war machine”. Moreover, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro called the Ukraine crisis “Modi’s war”.

But the Jewish outfit called Navarro’s remarks a “scurrilous charge” and said that it was “deeply troubled by the chorus of attacks on India by US officials”.

They also cleared the air, stating that they regret “India’s reliance on Russian oil” but noted that “India isn’t responsible for Putin’s war crimes, is a sister democracy and an increasingly important strategic partner of the United States”.

Trump’s new 25 per cent punitive tariffs added to the already imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India, driving the total to an obscene 50 per cent.

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Reports suggest that Prime Minister Modi has not taken lightly the US action, and has gone on a slew of bilateral trade visits, including Brazil, Japan, and even China.

With the latest revelation of India’s supply of diesel to Ukraine, this much is clear—India stands neutral in the conflicts of other nations, adhering to its external affairs outlook.