Don't know anything about it: Trump on US importing Russian chemicals

Trump's statement comes after India said that the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry, fertilisers, as well as chemicals

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said that he has no clue about the US importing chemicals and fertilisers from Russia. Trump’s statement follows India’s retort that the US continues to import uranium hexafluoride from Russia for its nuclear industry, as well as for fertilisers and chemicals.

 

Trump’s apparent unawareness of the US-Russia transactions emerged during a White House press conference. Responding to ANI about the US importing Russian chemicals and fertilisers, Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it. We will have to check.”

 

#WATCH | Responding to ANI's question on US imports of Russian Uranium, chemical fertilisers while criticising their (Indian) energy imports', US President Donald Trump says, "I don't know anything about it. I have to check..."  (Source: US Network Pool via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/OOejcaGz2t

— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2025

 

Here’s what has happened so far 

On April 2, Trump announced “sweeping tariffs” on more than 100 countries and imposed a 26 per cent “discounted” tariff on India. On April 9, he announced a 90-day pause, allowing countries a chance to secure a deal with the US. While the deadline ended on July 9, the tariff rates came into effect on August 1 for partner nations. During the 90-day pause on tariff rates, Trump, on several occasions, said that a deal with India is expected soon. 

 

However, right before the August 1 deadline, Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on India, bringing it down by one percentage point. Taking to his private social media platform, Truth Social, Trump announced the new tariff rate for India, adding that the nation is also likely to pay a penalty for its oil imports from Russia. He wrote, “They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!

INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST.”

 

The US President criticised India for buying Russian oil at a crucial time, when the peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed and the war has entered its fourth year in February. In a post shared on Monday, Donald Trump said, “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.”

 

India-US ties strained? 

As Trump continued to intensify pressure on India with his tariff threats and additional levies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a statement on Monday, responding to the claims made by Trump. In a sharp rebuttal, the MEA defended its oil purchases, stating that they are driven by national necessity and were far smaller in scale compared to the West’s energy purchases.

 

MEA also stated, “India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict.” 

 

West’s trade with Russia far exceeds India’s 

Data cited by the MEA highlighted the imbalance in Trump’s criticism. According to the data, the European Union recorded €67.5 billion in goods trade with Russia in 2024, and an additional €17.2 billion in services trade in 2023 – far higher than India’s total trade with Moscow. 

The statement further added, “The US continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilisers as well as chemicals.”