Trump Delays Tariffs on China for Russian Oil After Alaska Summit

The Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin lasted nearly three hours but concluded without a tangible agreement on the war in Ukraine. Both leaders attempted to portray the meeting as productive, with Trump claiming only “a few” unresolved issues remained, while Putin described the talks as “thorough and useful.” However, the lack of tangible outcomes on the battlefield left the summit looking more like a carefully choreographed event in Russia’s favor than a serious negotiation [1].

Following the meeting, Trump announced a temporary pause in the imposition of new tariffs on countries continuing to purchase Russian oil, including China. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that the summit had made sufficient progress to justify delaying the decision, adding that the issue might be revisited in two to three weeks. This move offers short-term relief to Chinese buyers who had been preparing for potential secondary sanctions, but it leaves the future of these tariffs in a state of uncertainty [2].

The U.S. has already imposed steep tariffs of 50 percent on Indian goods, a move Trump claimed pressured Russia into attending the summit by reducing its oil export revenues. He described India as an “oil client” Putin had lost due to the tariffs. However, Indian Oil Corporation’s chairman, A.S. Sahney, rejected this characterization, stating that India’s oil purchases remain driven purely by economic factors and that there has been no interruption in the procurement of Russian crude [3].

Critics have questioned the effectiveness of the Trump administration’s strategy, arguing that the tariffs may be doing more harm than good to U.S. alliances. Analysts at the Atlantic Council labeled the Alaska summit a diplomatic victory for Putin, who gained visibility and international legitimacy without making any concessions. U.S. Democratic lawmakers also criticized the summit as a charade, arguing that the tariffs on India will not compel Russia to change its behavior and that more direct action would be more effective [4].

The delay in decisions on sanctions has created uncertainty in global energy markets. Buyers of Russian oil are left guessing whether relief will be extended or if penalties will be reintroduced as early as September. European partners are also watching closely, particularly after Putin warned them not to “disrupt the emerging progress” in his global outreach [5].

Ukraine’s leaders described the summit as anticlimactic, emphasizing that Putin secured more time without offering any real concessions. Trump, meanwhile, left the door open for future action, maintaining the potential to impose tariffs on Russian oil buyers as a tool of leverage. The lack of clarity on the administration’s next steps is already influencing market sentiment and international diplomatic maneuvering [6].

With the August 27 tariff deadline for India approaching and a two-to-three-week window for China, the real test will be whether Trump uses this pause to build meaningful leverage or if it simply reinforces Putin’s position. The Alaska summit has left more questions than answers, and the international community will be watching how the administration’s strategy unfolds in the coming weeks [7].

Source:

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-says-ukraine-gotta-make-deal-after-summit-with-putin-yields-no-ceasefire-2025-08-16/

[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-16/trump-to-hold-off-hiking-china-tariffs-over-russia-oil-purchases

[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/16/trump-says-no-imminent-plans-to-penalize-china-for-buying-russian-oil.html

[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/tariff-tantrums-after-india-china-next-to-feel-us-secondary-tariffs-over-russian-oil-two-or-three-weeks-warns-donald-trump/articleshow/123334041.cms

[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/8/15/trump-putin-summit-live-leaders-to-meet-in-alaska-for-talks-on-ukraine-war

[6] https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/experts-react/trump-and-putin-just-left-alaska-without-a-deal-russias-war-on-ukraine/

[7] https://stratnewsglobal.com/world-news/alaska-summit-trump-delays-tariffs-on-buyers-of-russian-oil/