Trump blasts India & Russia, says they can down their dying economies together
Donald Trump criticizes India’s relationship with Russia, labeling both economies as ‘dead’, cautions Russia’s Medvedev, and declares a 25% US tariff on Indian exports. US President Donald Trump has expressed criticism regarding India’s economic connections with Russia, characterizing the economies of both nations as “dead”.
“I have no concern regarding India’s actions towards Russia. “They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” he wrote on Truth Social. Trump reiterated his longstanding grievances regarding India’s elevated tariffs, asserting that the United States has engaged in “very little business with India” as a consequence of this issue. “Their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world,” Trump stated.
Trump cautioned former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risks of provoking the United States, while downplaying any current trade ties with Russia. “Russia and the USA engage in minimal commercial interactions.” Let us maintain that status quo. Advise Medvedev, the erstwhile President of Russia, who appears to maintain a delusion of still holding that office, to exercise caution in his rhetoric. He is venturing into highly perilous territory!
On Wednesday, Trump declared a 25 percent tariff on all exports from India to the United States, effective August 1. This action also entails a penalty for India’s ongoing acquisitions of Russian military and energy assets. The recent imposition of new duties follows the unsuccessful attempts by India and the US to conclude an interim trade agreement, despite engaging in five rounds of negotiations. This agreement was anticipated to serve as a precursor to a more extensive bilateral trade arrangement, which both parties had targeted for completion by September-October.
Trump asserts that the penalty is a reaction to India’s defense and energy dealings with Russia. He emphasized that although India is an ally of the US, it continues to uphold robust economic ties with Russia, which complicates international endeavors to isolate Moscow in light of the Ukraine conflict. “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are excessively high, among the highest globally, and they impose the most rigorous and burdensome non-monetary trade barriers of any country,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Furthermore, they have consistently procured a significant portion of their military hardware from Russia, and they rank as Russia’s largest energy purchaser, alongside China, during a period when there is a widespread call for Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine — all of which is decidedly unfavorable!”
Trump also highlighted the substantial trade deficit that the US maintains with India as an additional justification for the increase in tariffs. “India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August first,” he stated. India exported goods valued at $86.5 billion to the US in FY25, resulting in a trade surplus of $40.8 billion. At present, Indian exporters are subject to a base tariff of 10 per cent, alongside duties sanctioned by the WTO. The recent tariff has substantially elevated the total levy, thereby raising expenses for Indian goods entering the US market.
