US-India tensions rise as Trump hikes tariffs to 50% | Hook News Brief

Hook News Brief | 07.08.25

Trump punishes India for buying Russian oil, hikes tariffs to 50%

US President Donald Trump has slapped India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil. Trump’s executive order will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the US to 50%. Thus making India the 2nd country after Brazil to pay the highest rates.

According to the executive order, the new rate will come into effect in 21 days on Aug 27. India's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Delhi had already made clear its stance on imports from Russia, and reiterated that the tariff is “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

After India, Trump may target China with secondary sanctions

Notably, the White House order did not mention China, another big purchaser of Russian oil. But when asked by reporters, Trump said China could be one of a few nations that could be hit by secondary sanctions but gave no further details.

Trump to meet Putin next week?

Moving on, Trump could meet Vladimir Putin as soon as next week to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, according to a White House official.

Such a face-to-face meeting would be the first between a sitting US and Russian President since Joe Biden met Putin back in June 2021, about 8 months before Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine - the biggest attack on a European nation since World War 2.

Trump threatens Washington DC with federal takeover

Staying with Trump, the US President on Wednesday suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, D.C.

Labelling the crime in the nation’s capital as “ridiculous”, Trump claimed Washington DC as unsafe. Further adding that DC “has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run”.

Trump has threatened a federal takeover of the city multiple times but renewed those threats after a young DOGE staffer was assaulted over the weekend. Trump’s former BFF Elon Musk, who once spearheaded the DOGE effort, in a post on X declared it’s time to federalise DC after confirming that the man was beaten and received a concussion.

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