Trump Administration Targeting India Through Tariffs: Expert

Priyam Gandhi Modi,an economic expert, told, "Initially, we thought the tariffs would be reciprocal, but now India is being directly targeted through them. This should be viewed through a geopolitical lens rather than just as a tariff issue."

Commenting on the US announcement of unilaterally increasing tariffs, she further said it is completely unfair and driven by other underlying forces.

She added that India is a major power, and no country can dictate which nations it should or should not trade with.

On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs had clarified that India’s oil purchases from Russia were appreciated by the previous US administration.

Earlier, on Monday, President Trump threatened to significantly increase tariffs on India due to its oil purchases from Russia.

He further wrote, "For this reason, I will significantly increase tariffs on goods India sends to the United States."

Trump’s senior advisor Stephen Miller also stated that President Trump believes India should stop buying Russian oil. He said, "Trump’s message is clear that funding the war by purchasing Russian oil is unacceptable."

However, Miller added that Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a "great relationship."

Last week, Trump had indicated that he might impose a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from India, along with additional punitive actions for its oil purchases from Russia.