The Donald Trump administration has moved the US Supreme Court to challenge a federal appeals court order that decreed most of his sweeping tariffs illegal, media reports said..

In the court papers, the Trump administration has defended the tariffs, calling them "crucial aspect of our push for peace" in Ukraine.

"The President recently authorised IEEPA tariffs against India for purchasing Russian energy products, to deal with a preexisting national emergency regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, as a crucial aspect of his push for peace in that war-torn country," the administration wrote.

The Trump administration has imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 percent on Russian oil purchases, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 percent, among the highest in the world.

Trump has accused India of supporting Moscow's war on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

However, he did not impose tougher sanctions on Russia itself.

In its filing in the Supreme Court, the administration claimed that with these tariffs, the US is a "rich nation" and without them, it is a "poor nation".

"According to the president, one year ago, the United States was a dead country, and now, because of the trillions of dollars being paid by countries that have so badly abused us, America is a strong, financially viable, and respected country again," the filing said.

Last week, a US appeals court ruled that many of Trump's tariffs, which have shaken global trade, were illegal.

However, it had allowed the tariffs to remain in place to give the administration time till mid-October to take it up to the Supreme Court.