In the latest snub at India, U.S. President Donald Trump says India had offered to cut its tariff to nothing, even as he called the current trade stalemate with the country a totally one-sided disaster. A 50 percent tariff on India has come into effect since the start of September 2025.
The U.S. has placed a tariff of 50 percent on goods from India, which includes a 25 percent penalty for Delhi’s refusal to stop buying oil from Russia. India has not responded to Trump’s latest tirade on social media, but the Russian oil fiasco has caused Delhi-Washington ties to hit an all-time low.
“What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest “client,” but we sell them very little – Until now, a totally one-sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India,” said Trump in a post during Modi’s visit to China.
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Trump’s comments coincide with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historical visit to China for the SCO summit after seven years. On the weekend, a picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking to each other at the SCO summit went viral on social media. Washington claims Delhi has been indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, Delhi, despite pressures, India continues to remain firm on its stance that oil supplies from Russia is vital for the Indian economy to meet the energy needs of its vast population.
“It has been a totally one-sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder,” said President Donald Trump in a post on social media.