U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was unaware of his country importing key materials like uranium and fertilisers from Russia — a point India recently raised while defending its ongoing oil trade with Moscow.

“I have no knowledge of that. I’ll have to look into it,” Trump told CNBC when questioned about India’s claim that the U.S. and Europe were selectively targeting New Delhi over its energy ties with Russia, despite maintaining significant trade themselves.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had issued a sharp response to mounting Western pressure, saying it was unfair for the U.S. and EU to criticise India’s oil purchases while they themselves continued importing Russian goods for strategic sectors.

The MEA pointed out that American entities still procure Russian uranium hexafluoride for nuclear energy, palladium for electric vehicles, fertilisers, and other chemicals — highlighting what it called a “double standard.”

India emphasized that its energy decisions are based on economic needs, not politics, and recalled that the U.S. had earlier encouraged India to engage with Russian suppliers to ensure global market stability.

Trump Threatens Fresh Tariffs Over Russian Oil Imports

President Trump, however, intensified his rhetoric against India, accusing it of supporting Russia’s war effort by continuing to buy oil. He warned that additional tariffs could be imposed as early as the next day.

“India hasn’t been fair in trade — they export heavily to us, but we don’t see the same from them. We agreed on 25%, but I may raise that significantly within the next 24 hours,” he said, referencing India's energy dealings with Moscow.

In the same interview, Trump also hinted at wider trade penalties, potentially affecting any country that maintains strong energy ties with Russia, including China.

While he didn't confirm specific figures, he said, “I never mentioned exact percentages, but we’re considering strong action. We'll see how things evolve — there's a meeting with Russia tomorrow.”

According to Trump, the key objective of upcoming U.S. discussions with Moscow is to end the ongoing Ukraine conflict. “This is the war I’m trying to end. I’ve already managed to resolve others swiftly,” he added.

He noted that final decisions on sanctions or tariffs would follow the outcome of Wednesday’s diplomatic talks in Moscow, where U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Russian officials.