Vance defends tariffs on India as ‘leverage’ to push Russia on Ukraine war

WASHINGTON: United States Vice President J D Vance on Sunday (local time) defended the imposition of secondary sanctions and tariffs on India, describing them as part of Washington’s strategy to apply “aggressive economic leverage” against Russia over the war with Ukraine.

Speaking at an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, Vance said the Trump administration is making it harder for Moscow to profit from its oil economy through measures that include tariffs on India.

Vance said, “I think this question betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of where we are. The President has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example, the secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy. He has tried to make it clear that Russia can be reintegrated into the world economy if it stops the killing, but they are going to continue to be isolated if it doesn’t”.

“President Trump has applied aggressive economic leverage against Russia with the secondary tariffs on India,” says Vice President JD Vance pic.twitter.com/rnrUl6z5Ls

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) August 24, 2025

When asked about Secretary Marco Rubio’s doubts that sanctions would not force Russian President Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire, Vance mentioned that sanctions are not off the table.

“Sanctions are not off the table, but we are going to make these determinations on a case-by-case basis. What we do think is actually going to exert the right kind of leverage to bring the Russians to the table? You said sanctions were not going to lead to a ceasefire, I think that’s obviously correct. If we look at the way Russians have concluded themselves, they dont want a ceasfire. They dont want to cease for complicated reasons”, he said.

The Vice President said the US still has “a lot of cards left to play” and emphasised that the Trump administration has already applied more economic pressure on Moscow than previous governments.

Responding to criticism that Washington has not imposed similar measures on China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, Vance said, “We have 54 per cent tariff on PRC right now, so we have already applied pretty hefty sanctions on the Chinese and we have had a number of conversations at all levels of government to try to encourage the Chinese to be better partners in bringing this war to a close”.

NBC: “Why no sanctions on China?”

.@VP: “Obviously, we have a 54% tariff on the PRC right now, so we’ve already applied pretty hefty sanctions on the Chinese…” pic.twitter.com/IUeug9nkkU

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025

Vance also hinted that the US may drop additional tariffs on countries if the US make a deal with Russia, and also apply more tariffs on the countries to bring this war to a close. He added, “We are applying aggressive economic pressure to bring this war to a close. Maybe we will apply additional pressure, or maybe we feel like we are making progress, and we will dial that pressure back”, Vance said.

When asked further about the Russia-Ukraine negotiations and what is on the table for Ukraine, the Vice President also underlined Washington’s security commitments to Ukraine. “It is providing the Ukrainians the kind of security guarantees that ensure the country is not going to be invaded again. This is why I think we have made a lot of progress, even though we are not there yet”, Vance added.

Highlighting US diplomatic efforts, Vance further said, “We are trying to negotiate as much as we can with both the Russians and the Ukrainians to find a middle ground to stop the killing. I think what the President has tried to do here is try to engage in very aggressive, very energetic diplomacy because this war is not in anyone’s interest. It’s not in Europe’s or the United States’ interest. We don’t think it’s in Russia’s or Ukraine’s interest to keep going, so we’re going to keep on pushing for a diplomatic solution”. (ANI)