By Admin 
Amidst Donald Trump’s announcement of reducing the tariff on Indian goods from 50 percent to 18 percent, an American MP has made a big claim. A senior US lawmaker has said that President Donald Trump is looking for excuses to impose huge tariffs on India for buying Russian oil and has urged Trump to immediately withdraw this policy.
MP Brad Sherman wrote in a post on social media on Wednesday (February 19, 2026), ‘President Trump is looking for an excuse to impose excessive tariffs on India.’ Sherman, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Financial Services Committee of the House of Representatives, said that Trump’s claim that duty was imposed on India for the import of Russian oil.
He said that Hungary buys 90 percent crude oil from Russia but America did not impose any duty on it. China is Russia’s biggest oil buyer, there is no restriction on it either, although America has taken action against it for other reasons. Sherman said, ‘India buys only 21 percent of its crude oil from Russia, yet our ally was targeted. President Trump should change this policy immediately.
The US and India had announced earlier this month that they had agreed to the outline of an interim trade-related agreement. Along with this, Trump issued an executive order and removed the 25 percent punitive duty imposed on India for buying oil from Russia. US President Trump mentioned India’s commitment to stop importing oil directly or indirectly from Russia and buy American energy products. Under this trade agreement, America will reduce the reciprocal duty rate on India from 25 percent to 18 percent.