NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Donald Trump’s tariffs could allow India to continue buying Russian oil without facing new trade penalties from Washington. Analysts say the decision limits Trump’s ability to use emergency powers to pressure India over its energy imports. The ruling comes at a sensitive time for U.S.-India trade relations. Energy, tariffs, and geopolitics have shaped ties between the two countries over the past year.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that Trump did not have the legal authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping import tariffs. The decision restricts his ability to link trade penalties to issues unrelated to direct economic threats. After the ruling, Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a 10% global import tariff. He later said he would raise it to 15%. However, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection memo listed the tariff rate at 10% when it took effect.
Analysts say the court’s decision narrows Trump’s trade policy options. Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft said India will likely maintain strong ties with Russia, especially in the energy sector. He said India could reduce Russian oil purchases but is unlikely to stop them fully.
India has increased its Russian oil imports since the start of the Ukraine war. Russian crude often sells at discounted prices, making it attractive to Indian refiners. Energy data firm Kpler reports that India imported about 1.16 million barrels per day of Russian oil in February. That figure stands lower than the 2025 average of 1.71 million barrels per day. Data for March and April is still incomplete.
Muyu Xu, a senior crude analyst at Kpler, said market chatter suggests Indian refiners avoided booking April shipments of Russian oil after an interim U.S.-India trade deal earlier this month. However, she added that the Supreme Court ruling now gives India room to maintain imports between 800,000 and 1 million barrels per day. As of late January, Russia ranked as India’s largest crude supplier. The United States ranked sixth. India typically buys between 200,000 and 300,000 barrels per day of U.S. crude.
India’s Russian oil purchases have strained ties with Washington. In August, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods. He said the move aimed to punish New Delhi for buying Russian crude, which he claimed supported Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. The new penalty was added to an existing 25% reciprocal tariff. That brought total U.S. tariffs on Indian exports to 50%, the highest level among U.S. trading partners.
Earlier this month, the two countries reached an interim trade deal. The United States reduced tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18%. In a Feb. 6 executive order, Trump removed the punitive 25% tariff. He said India had committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian oil and would buy U.S. energy products instead. However, the joint statement announcing the deal did not mention any formal commitment by India to curb Russian oil imports. The statement said India intends to purchase $500 billion worth of U.S. goods, including energy, over five years.
Economists say India’s energy policy focuses on affordability and supply security. Alexandra Hermann, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said India’s pledges to reduce Russian oil imports were never formally codified. She said such commitments would have proved difficult to implement.
Hermann added that India aims to avoid dependence on any single supplier. She said U.S. crude is unlikely to replace Russian barrels in a meaningful way. Russian oil remains competitively priced and readily available.
Pankaj Srivastava of Rystad Energy said India has continued to import Russian oil despite tariff pressure. He said Washington may now avoid pushing India too hard. The United States has expanded energy exports to India and does not want to risk that growing market.
India’s trade negotiators have postponed a planned visit to Washington. A source told CNBC that both sides want time to assess the impact of the Supreme Court ruling and the new global tariffs. Analysts say the blanket 10% tariff reduces the trade advantage India gained under the interim deal. Even so, they expect India to balance its economic interests with diplomatic ties.
