Trump's remarks came amid escalating trade tensions and recent levy actions by the US on Indian goods and energy imports. Trump said, "China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil," highlighting his administration's position on sanction enforcement and economic pressure on Moscow. The Trump administration imposed additional tariffs against India, including a 25 per cent levy specifically aimed at penalising New Delhi for its Russian oil imports. These add to previous tariffs, bringing the total US levies on Indian goods to 50 per cent—among the highest levied worldwide. India has officially called the tariffs "unjustified and unreasonable" and defended its oil purchases as legitimate under the current global energy framework.