Why is Trump singling out India, and what can Modi do about it? | DW News

US President Donald Trump’s pressure on India to halt its oil imports from Russia and comply with sanctions on Iran has strained ties between Washington and New Delhi, who have enjoyed a healthy strategic partnership for decades.With trade talks still stalled after several rounds of negotiations, Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on Indian exports to the US which took effect on August 1, and on Monday threatened to "substantially" increase it. India has hit back, saying the tariffs are "unjustified and unreasonable" and that it would take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its "national interests and economic security."

After calling India a "friend" last week, Trump hardened his tone on Monday, saying New Delhi authorities "don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine" and are helping fund Russia’s war effort in Ukraine through their purchases of Russian oil. The tougher rhetoric is a marked shift in relations between India and the US. Ties have deteriorated in recent months, despite the display of personal warmth and symbolic friendship when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Trump earlier this year in Washington.

Ajay Bisaria, a former diplomat who just returned from the US, said Trump is trying to reshape the world order by deploying two blunt instruments — tariffs and sanctions — with India facing the threat of both. Despite the downturn and harsh rhetoric, Bisaria told DW that "India should play the long game, keep calm, and negotiate. The Trump phenomenon needs to be managed, not countered at every step." India "must prioritize its national interest" with regard to Russian energy imports, Bisaria said, while also conveying to Washington that it "values its partnership" with the US — as long as the White House tones down its increasingly confrontational rhetoric and respects "India’s red lines." He pointed to an upcoming visit by a US delegation later this month as a target for a trade deal to be agreed.

Chapters
00:00 Latest wave of Trump tariffs
00:38 Sandra Petersmann, DW Delhi Bureau Chief
05:30 Deepanshu Mohan, O.P. Jindal Global University Prof. of Economics

#Tradewar #Tariffs #India
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News post in August 7, 2025, 9:04 am.

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