President Donald Trump expressed strong views on India’s trade practices and its dealings with Russia. He said that India offered a ‘no tariff’ deal after the US raised tariffs on Indian goods. Trump said India was the most tariffed nation. He added that tariffs are essential for trade balance, singling out China, India, and Brazil as countries that negatively affect the US with their trade policies. Trump also mentioned that the US has not yet introduced “Phase-2” and “Phase-3” tariffs on countries still trading with Russia, highlighting that secondary sanctions against India were a direct action against Russia. He implied that further penalties could be imposed on India if it continues to purchase Russian oil. He also stated India would face ‘big problems’ if it continued buying Russian oil. The former President also criticized the trade relationship with India as being ‘one-sided’, where India benefits more.
