US President Donald Trump accused India and China of “funding” the Ukraine conflict through Russian energy imports, in a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Trump previously argued in favor of imposing secondary sanctions on nations maintaining economic ties with Russia to increase the financial pressure. Both Beijing and New Delhi have called the US approach unacceptable and refused to bow to pressure.
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“China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil,” Trump claimed on Tuesday.
The US president also ridiculed NATO members that continue to import Russian oil and gas, saying they are virtually “funding the war against themselves” by buying energy from Russia while at the same time “fighting Russia.”
“It is always an honor to speak at the United Nations, even if, their equipment is somewhat faulty. Make America Great Again!” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/0MSIvlOiyC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 23, 2025
Earlier this month, Trump demanded that Brussels introduce tariffs of up to 100% on Indian and Chinese goods. The proposal was met with resistance by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said the bloc would “make its own decisions.”
In late August, Washington imposed a 25% punitive tariff on India, bringing total import tariffs to 50% on most goods, citing New Delhi’s failure to curtail purchases of Russian oil. The US has yet to impose any new tariffs on Beijing, after a tariff war earlier this year resulted in a temporary truce.
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Both China and India rejected what they called US economic coercion. India will “undoubtedly be buying Russian oil,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in early September. The country’s imports of crude oil from Russia rose by 5.6% last month to 1.6 million barrels per day.
China denounced what it described as “illicit unilateral sanctions” by the US and insisted that it is “fully legitimate and lawful” to maintain normal economic, trade, and energy cooperation with all countries, including Russia.
During a recent visit to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned the West against using a “colonial tone” toward China and India, arguing that efforts to punish them are aimed at slowing their economic rise.