Trump threatens India with ‘Substantial Tariffs’, but what about US & EU Trade Deals?

While the US & Trump government have heavily criticized India for carrying out oil trade with Russia over the growing tension with Ukraine, his own country along with the European Union (EU) have held trade ties over the last four years.

Three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and European Union still import billions of euros worth of Russian energy and commodities, ranging from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium. India this week lashed out at what it called ‘Western double standards’, after facing renewed threats from US President Donald Trump over its surging purchases of Russian crude oil, and alleged ‘substantial tariff hike’ in the upcoming days, with a 25% tariff already activated.

Here are the main commercial ties that the US, Europe, and India maintain with Russia, and their evolution over the last four years:

Europe Imports from Russia

Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, trade ties between the EU and Russia have drastically contracted due to EU sanctions and import restrictions on some products. Imports from Russia fell by 86% from the first quarter of 2022 through the first quarter of this year, according to the latest data from Eurostat.

Imports of goods from Russia in the first quarter of 2025 totaled to 8.74 billion Euros ($10.11 billion), down from approx. 30 billion euros four years earlier. Since January 2022, the EU has imported 297 billion euros’ worth of Russian goods, which is a whopping figure in itself, given that India is being cornered for its bilateral relations.

The EU (European Union), however, continues to purchase oil, nickel, natural gas, fertilizer, iron, and steel from Russia till present day.

• Four years ago, Russia was the largest supplier of petroleum products to the EU, but the EU ban on maritime imports of Russian crude oil reduced its share to 2.01% in 2025 from 28.74% in 2021.
• Russia’s share in natural gas decelerated to 17% in the first quarter of 2025 from 48% in 2021’s first quarter.
• As for fertilizers, a sector in which the European Parliament voted in May 2025 to impose prohibitive tariffs, Russia remained, as of the first quarter (April – June) of 2025, the largest exporter to the European Union.

India’s Imports from Russia

In a stark contrast to Europe, India’s imports from Moscow surged to $65.7 billion in 2024 from $8.25 billion in 2021, data from the Indian Commerce Ministry website showed, indicating its growing partnership and strong ties with Russian government.

• Crude oil has been the biggest driver of the growth in India’s imports from Russia, jumping to a massive $52.2 billion in 2024 from $2.31 billion in 2021.
• India’s imports of coal and coal-related products from Russia also surged to $3.5 billion from $1.12 billion in 2021.

US Imports from Russia

The US (United States) imports from Russia fell to $2.50 billion in the first half of 2025 from $14.14 billion four years earlier in 2021, according to US Census Bureau and US Bureau of Economic Analysis data. Since January 2022, the US has imported $24.51 billions of Russian goods.

• Last year, the US imported around $1.27 billions of Russian fertilizers, marginally up from $1.14 billion in 2021.
• The U.S. in addition also imported enriched uranium and plutonium from Russia worth around $624 million in 2024, though the number reduced a great deal from 2021 import period, ever since the support for Ukraine has been vocalized.