The Indian government has sharply criticised the United States following President Donald Trump's decision to impose an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian imports. In a strongly worded statement, India described the move as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and vowed to take steps to protect its national interest.
The new tariffs, which came into effect on 1 August, are being framed by the US as a punitive measure in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and its engagement with the BRICS bloc. President Trump, while signing the executive order on Wednesday, claimed that India’s tariffs on American goods are “the highest in the world”, and accused New Delhi of taking actions that are “anti-American”.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed deep disappointment with the US decision, reiterating that India’s trade with Russia is driven by necessity, not politics.
“We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,” said the MEA.
The ministry noted that several other nations also engage in trade with Russia based on their own national interests, yet India alone is being singled out for punitive action.
“It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,” the statement added.
President Trump's move is being widely seen as part of a broader strategy to increase pressure on Moscow amid ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. However, Indian officials have pointed out what they see as a double standard in Washington’s stance.
“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation,” the MEA noted in an earlier statement. “However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”
India has previously pushed back against Washington’s threats of punitive action, accusing both the US and the European Union of hypocrisy and economic coercion.
The additional tariffs come at a time when New Delhi is also facing growing scrutiny from the West over its role in the BRICS alliance, which President Trump described as an “anti-American” bloc. Indian officials have not responded directly to that accusation but continue to stress that their foreign and economic policies are guided solely by national interest.
