Bhubaneswar, Feb. 7 -- US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order removing the 25% tariff penalty imposed on India for purchasing Russian energy, days after New Delhi and Washington announced an interim trade deal lowering tariffs on Indian goods.

The order, signed on Friday (local time), eliminates the penalty that was imposed in August and confirms that reduced tariffs-cut from 50% to 18%-will apply to Indian exports from 12:01 AM EST on February 7.

In the executive order, Trump reiterated his claim that India has committed to stop importing Russian oil and instead increase purchases of US energy products. It also states that India has agreed to a framework to expand defence cooperation with the United States over the nex...