WASHINGTON— Despite referring to India as “our friend,” U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Indian exports starting Friday, citing stalled trade negotiations.
“India will be paying a tariff of 25 percent,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that New Delhi would also face an additional penalty for continuing to purchase energy from Russia.
Trump has proposed secondary sanctions of 100% tariffs on all countries that continue buying Russian energy if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. He has now shortened the deadline for those penalties to August 7—just ten days from Tuesday.
The threat against India appears to be a high-pressure tactic to push for a last-minute agreement, as Trump and officials like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had recently expressed optimism about reaching a deal with New Delhi.
India was among the earliest nations to begin tariff talks with the U.S., and Trump had repeatedly suggested that a deal was close, including as recently as last week.
Speaking to the media in London last week, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said negotiations were making “fantastic” progress and expressed hope for a “very consequential partnership.”
However, with the August 1 deadline just a day away, no agreement has been announced, despite negotiators reportedly working around the clock to meet the cutoff. An interim deal had been anticipated before the deadline, with a more comprehensive trade pact possibly finalized in time for Trump’s expected visit to India for the Quad summit later this year.
In his Truth Social post, Trump reiterated long-standing complaints about India’s trade policies.
“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high—among the highest in the world,” he wrote.
He accused India of maintaining “the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country” and criticized its defense and energy ties with Russia.
“They have always bought the vast majority of their military equipment from Russia and are Russia’s largest energy buyer, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine,” Trump wrote.
“ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST,” he warned, ending the post with a pointed “MAGA” (Make America Great Again).
The U.S. has been pressing trading partners to eliminate tariffs on American exports. Most countries and the European Union have agreed to this condition in recent deals.
One of the major sticking points with India has been Washington’s push to open Indian markets to U.S. agricultural products—a politically sensitive issue for India, where farming supports a significant portion of the population.
In recently concluded deals, the U.S. settled for a 15% tariff with Japan and the EU, and 19% with the Philippines and Indonesia. Trump has also announced unilateral tariffs for other nations—35% for Bangladesh, 36% for Thailand, and 25% for Malaysia—if agreements are not reached by August 1. (Source: IANS)
