There is a timeless Hindi adage,“Rassi jal gayi, par bal nahi gaya” (The rope may scorch in the flames, but its stubborn twists remain). India has inflicted global embarrassment in US President Donald Trump by refusing to stop buying Russian oil and snubbed his one-sided trade deal. Yet, Trump’s attack dog, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said that US will ‘sort out’ India once it stops buying Russian oil. Earlier, Lutnick said that India would say ‘sorry’ to US.

Appearing on a CNBC show on Thursday, the US Commerce Secretary said, “We’re going to sort out India. You know, India basically has to open their market, has to stop buying Russian oil. People don’t remember India didn’t buy Russian oil before the war with Russia and Ukraine…1 per cent of their oil was from Russia. And now 40 per cent of their oil is from Russia because we’ve sanctioned it, so they can buy it, you know, $7-10 a barrel cheap. So, they’re buying it, refining it, and then selling it to the rest of the world and making a bundle.”

“So, the president (Trump) called nonsense on that and said you got to stop that stuff. So, I think India, we’ll sort it out once they stop buying Russian oil,” Lutnick added.

Prssident Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demands India stop buying Russian oil, warning ‘we’ll sort it out’

Threats. The sure sign of great diplomacy and statecraft. pic.twitter.com/NRmphfETKG

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) September 12, 2025

Howard Lutnick has a knack for mocking and belittling America’s partners and adversaries alike. Last week, Lutnick claimed that despite India maintaining a firm position on continuing oil trade with Russia, New Delhi would eventually return to the table to strike a deal with Washington in the coming months and say ‘sorry’.

Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Lutnick said, “So I think, yes, in a month or two months, I think India is going to be at the table and they’re going to say they’re sorry and they’re going to try to make a deal with Donald Trump. If India does not support the United States, they will have to pay 50 per cent tariffs on its exports to the US.”

While Donald Trump has softened his tone and gone from calling Indian economy ‘dead’ weeks back to India a ‘great nation’ recently, his officials continue to vilify New Delhi and peddle false narrative about India’s Russian oil purchases.

All these theatrics are nothing but a part of Trump administration’s pressure tactics, not to end Russia-Ukraine war, not to essentially cripple Russian economy but to arm-twist India into opening its agriculture and dairy markets for US companies.

Moreover, the Trump administration sees India, with its huge population a lucrative market and wants New Delhi to cut its Russian oil purchases. While it is widely known that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize and open Indian agricultural and dairy market are the main reasons for India-US relations seeing a sudden bitterness, the US also wants India to buy American crude oil, petroleum products and LNG.

An admission to the Trump administration’s ambition of diverting India’s crude oil and LNG imports from Russia to US, was made by Sergio Gor, Trumps’ nominee to be US Ambassador to India during his nomination hearing on 11^th September.

“In the ongoing trade talks, we want the Indian market to open for our crude oil, petroleum products, LNG. India’s Middle Class is larger than the entire US. You’re talking about a population of 1.4 billion individuals there (India). Their middle class by our definition is larger than an entire United States of America and so we have countless possibilities to expand into those markets…” Gor said.

Sergio Gor, Trumps’ nominee to be US Amb to India: In the ongoing trade talks, we want the Indian market to open for our crude oil, petroleum products, LNG. India’s Middle Class is larger than the entire US. pic.twitter.com/NhdnaluAOZ

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) September 11, 2025

Apparently, the Trump administration’s tariff war against India was not only the expression of Trump’s frustration over not securing credit for his imaginary credit for brokering India-Pakistan ceasefire, Nobel prize nomination or attempt to deter India from ‘fuelling Russian war-machine’.

The US profiteered massively from the Russia-Ukraine war by selling its LNG and petroleum products to Europe on much higher rates and defence equipment to Ukraine. Even in peace talks intended to secure end to Russia-Ukraine war, Trump is eyeing a dollar-minting deal. And now, Trump administration wants India to ditch Russia for American petroleum products.

In war, or in peace, with adversaries or with allies, the US always looks for the goldmine.