WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed a new energy partnership between the United States and Pakistan aimed at developing what he described as “massive oil reserves.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump also hinted that the oil from this venture could eventually be exported to India, even as tensions rise over trade and tariffs.
“We have just concluded a deal with the country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive oil reserves,” Trump wrote. “We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership. Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling oil to India someday!”
The announcement follows Trump’s imposition of a 25% tariff on Indian imports, part of his broader strategy targeting trade imbalances and India’s continued energy and defense ties with Russia. He has also warned of additional penalties related to India’s purchases of Russian oil and arms.
Oil, BRICS, and Dollar Concerns
In a separate statement, Trump touched upon ongoing trade talks with India, saying the country’s involvement in the BRICS bloc is under scrutiny. He suggested that India’s participation in the group—which he described as “anti-United States”—was a concern due to its perceived challenge to the dominance of the US dollar.
“We are negotiating right now. And it’s also BRICS—BRICS, which is basically a group of countries that are anti the United States—and India is a member of that,” Trump said. “It is an attack on the dollar, and we are not going to let anybody attack the dollar. So it’s partially BRICS, and it’s partially trade. We had a tremendous deficit.”
He added that India had indicated willingness to reduce tariffs in ongoing negotiations, with more details likely to emerge later this week.
India’s Russian Oil Imports Draw Scrutiny
Trump’s comments come amid growing criticism of India’s energy trade with Russia. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Indian refiners have significantly increased their purchases of Russian oil, benefiting from steep discounts as Western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow. Russia now accounts for roughly one-third of India’s crude oil imports, a dramatic increase from less than 1% before the war.
The Trump administration’s latest actions and rhetoric reflect mounting pressure on New Delhi to align more closely with US interests, especially as global geopolitical alliances shift and energy security becomes a key battleground.
With a US-Pakistan oil partnership now in motion, and India’s strategic position under sharper scrutiny, energy diplomacy appears to be emerging as a new flashpoint in the evolving US-India relationship.
