Chandigarh News Desk | September 1, 2025
India Offered Zero Tariffs: Former US President Donald Trump has once again reignited the trade debate between India and the United States, calling the bilateral relationship a “one-sided disaster.” His sharp remarks came just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held key meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
Trump: “India Offered Zero Tariffs, But It’s Late”
Taking to Truth Social, Trump claimed that India had offered to cut tariffs on American goods to zero, but stressed that the move was coming “too late.”
“They (India) have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago,” Trump said.
The Indian government has not issued any official response to Trump’s claims so far.
“One-Sided Business Relationship”
Trump described India-US trade relations as highly imbalanced. According to him, India benefits massively from exports to the US, while American businesses face barriers due to high Indian tariffs.
“What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. They sell us massive amounts of goods, but we sell them very little. Until now, it’s been a totally one-sided relationship,” Trump said.
He went further, calling the existing trade structure “a totally one-sided disaster for decades,” blaming India’s high tariffs for blocking US companies from gaining a fair share of the Indian market.
Criticism Over Russia Ties
Trump also targeted India’s energy and defense ties with Russia, saying New Delhi buys “most of its oil and military equipment from Russia, and very little from the US.”
The statement reflects Washington’s long-standing discomfort with India-Russia defense cooperation and New Delhi’s decision to continue importing Russian crude oil despite Western sanctions.
Tariff War Between India and US
During Trump’s presidency, the US imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and later added another 25% levy on India’s purchases of Russian oil. This raised the effective duty on Indian exports to 50%, one of the highest in the world.
India, on its part, slammed the tariffs as “unjustified and unreasonable,” arguing that its policies align with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and are designed to protect domestic industries.
What Lies Ahead?
The fresh outburst highlights the ongoing strain in India-US trade relations, even as both nations project strategic cooperation in defense and technology. With Modi strengthening ties with Russia and China at the SCO, Trump’s comments may be an attempt to pressure India into faster concessions on trade ahead of a possible return to the White House.
For now, the ball lies in New Delhi’s court, as policymakers balance between strategic partnerships with the US and long-standing defense and energy ties with Russia.