Does Trump's 25% additional tariff on India mean Putin-Witkoff talks didn't go well?

Hours after President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff concluded a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump slapped 25% additional tariff on Indian imports, with analysts questioning whether the move signals frustration over stalled diplomacy with Moscow.

The three-hour meeting, despite being described as “constructive,” appears to have yielded no breakthrough on the war in Ukraine.

Amid these developments, India faced penalties for purchasing Russian oil, as President Trump believes its payments are indirectly helping fund Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

In addition to the 25% tariff already set to take effect this Thursday, President Trump has announced an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, scheduled to be implemented later this month.

Together, these measures will raise the total tariff on goods from India — the world’s fifth-largest economy — to a steep 50%, one of the highest US import duties currently in place.

According to an executive order posted on the White House website, the move marks a sharp escalation in Trump’s trade standoff with New Delhi and represents his first application of secondary sanctions targeting countries accused of supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” Trump wrote on social media earlier this week.

Responding to Trump’s tariff escalation, India defended its purchases of Russian oil.

“We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,” Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,” the statement added.

It also hinted at potential retaliatory tariffs on American goods, saying that “India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,”

Meanwhile, Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, called the talks “useful,” but stopped short of suggesting any major progress, according to an Associated Press report.

Witkoff was also seen walking through Zaryadye Park with Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation.

Dmitriev — who has played a key role in recent Russia-Ukraine and Russia-US backchannel diplomacy — later posted on X that “dialogue will prevail.”

However, the substance of that dialogue remains unclear, and key players admit that negotiations have stalled.

Despite the diplomatic efforts, Russian airstrikes in Ukraine have escalated. Just hours before the Witkoff-Putin meeting, Russian forces struck a recreation center in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, killing two and injuring twelve — including children — in attacks condemned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “cruelty to intimidate.”

On Tuesday, Trump hinted at new economic measures when asked about tariffs on countries still purchasing Russian oil.

“We’ll see what happens,” he was quoted as saying.

“We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We’re going to make a determination at that time,” he had indicated.

Although the White House has not officially linked the tariff decision to India’s continued energy ties with Moscow, the timing has fueled speculation that the move is a signal of Trump’s dissatisfaction with the Putin-Witkoff talks.

Putin has remained defiant, showcasing new hypersonic missile capabilities and lifting a moratorium on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev even warned of a potential US-Russia military conflict, prompting Trump to reposition two US nuclear submarines.

With Russia refusing to halt its offensive and US sanctions failing to deter Moscow’s strategy, Trump’s latest tariff threat could reflect a pivot toward economic pressure on third-party countries like India — a move that could reshape geopolitical alliances and deepen the global divide over the Ukraine conflict.

With inputs from agencies