Trump hits India with punishing 50% tariffs for buying Russian oil

President Donald Trump's promised 50% tariffs on India took effect on Wednesday, as the U.S. risks blowing up a relationship considered crucial in its effort to counter the rise of China

President Donald Trump's promised 50% tariffs on India took effect on Wednesday, as the U.S. risks blowing up a relationship considered crucial in its effort to counter the rise of China.

Trump started the tariff rate at 25% but doubled it earlier this month as punishment for India buying Russian oil, making it one of the highest of the many tariffs imposed during Trump's ongoing global trade war.

India, one of the world's fastest growing economies and a key partner for the West in the Indo-Pacific region, is heavily reliant on trade with the U.S., its largest export market.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to stand firm in the face of what he termed "the politics of economic selfishness."

The 50% levy risks decades of warming of ties between Washington and New Delhi.