Long considered a friend by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump slapped 25% import duties on India on 30 July after alluding that efforts toward a bilateral trade deal between Washington and New Delhi were not going well.
“Their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country," Trump said. The comments echo Trump’s position during his first term, when he famously called India the "Tariff King". More recently, Trump declared that he "doesn't care" what India does with Russia. "They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care," he said.
As India absorbs the shock of Trump's recent placing of high tariffs on its exports to the United States, its official response has been carefully worded. This is because the tariffs come with serious geopolitical undertones—especially in regard to the war in Ukraine, as Trump warned India over its continued purchasing of Russian oil and military equipment.
As one of the chief buyers of Russian energy, New Delhi is acutely aware of the high stakes involved, which is why its response to Trump's new tariffs was carefully worded.
"The government has taken note of a statement by the US President on bilateral trade. The government is studying its implications," an official government statement read.
India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective," it continued.
