US President Donald Trump has once again threatened to significantly increase tariffs on India within the next 24 hours. Speaking to CNBC, Trump repeated his claim that India imposes the highest tariffs on American goods globally. He criticized India for not being a fair trading partner, saying the US does a lot of business with India, but the same is not reciprocated. Trump also pointed to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and military products, saying this supports the war effort and is unacceptable.
The threat came a day after Trump vowed to raise tariffs in response to India’s ongoing trade with Russia. Russia quickly condemned Trump’s statements, describing them as threats against Moscow for trading with its partners. Meanwhile, the Indian government strongly rejected the US threats, calling them “unjustified and unreasonable” in an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
India’s MEA emphasized that its imports from Russia are necessary to maintain affordable and predictable energy costs for Indian consumers amid global market challenges. The statement also highlighted the hypocrisy of the US and EU, noting that these countries themselves continue to trade with Russia without facing similar criticism. India maintained that its trade with Russia is a vital national necessity, unlike the trade practices of other nations.
