‘Have to Check’: Trump’s Response After India Cites US Buying Russian Uranium, Fertilizers
Amid his criticism of India over Russian oil imports, US President Donald Trump claimed ignorance about America’s own growing imports from Russia—statements India has now cited to counter his tariff threats. Quietly, US-Russia trade has surged, even as Trump warns of punitive tariffs on nations dealing with Moscow.
- Republic Business
- 3 min read
US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy after admitting he had “no knowledge” of Washington’s ongoing imports from Russia, even as he continues to attack India for its energy trade with Moscow.
“I don't know anything about it. We will have to check,” Trump told reporters when asked by news agency ANI about the United States’ imports of Russian chemicals and fertilisers.
India, which has been under mounting pressure from Washington over its continued oil trade with Russia since the Ukraine conflict began, was quick to seize on Trump’s remarks.
Officials pointed out the apparent double standard, stating that even the US President had “no knowledge that the United States imports Russian chemicals and fertilisers.”
US Imports From Russia Increase
American imports from Russia have increased 23% year-on-year (YoY) to $2.1 billion between January and May this year. The rise was led by sharp increases in imports of palladium (37%), uranium (28%) and fertilisers.
In 2024, which was two years after the Ukraine war started, US merchandise imports from Russia declined to $3 billion in customs value, which was 90% lower than 2021, the year before the conflict.
Despite this, key Russian goods still continued to flow into the US in 2024, and the list includes fertilisers ($1.1 billion), palladium ($878 million), uranium ($624 million), as well as aircraft engine parts ($75 million), as per Us International Trade Commission (USITC) data
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Trump Slams India Over Russian Oil Trade
Earlier this week, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to sharply criticize India: “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. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
Read More - Trump Threatens Steep Tariff Hike on India Over Russian Oil Imports
US Imports From Russia: The Story So Far
In 2021, the US imported goods worth $30 billion from Russia, and this amount further reduced to almost half to $14 billion in 2022, following the war which began in Ukraine in February that year.
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Additionally, the main import for 2021 was crude oil, valued at over $17 billion, but this has since become negligible.
The imports of fish and crustaceans, as well as nickel and lead, had stopped completely.
Nearly 90% of US imports from Russia in 2024 comprised fertilisers (including urea and potassium chloride), palladium, and uranium. As compared to 2021, fertiliser imports in 2024 were down 8%, palladium 45% and uranium just 3%.