US President Donald Trump on Monday accused India of maintaining a "totally one-sided" trade relationship with the United States.
In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump highlighted India's significant exports to the U.S. while noting the limited American exports to India, attributing this disparity to India's high tariffs, which he claims are the highest of any country.
Trump, once again slammed India's continued purchases of discounted Russian oil, suggesting that this trade undermines US interests.
He said India sells massive amounts of goods to the US, its “biggest client,” while American exports to India remain minimal.
Trump blamed the imbalance on India’s high tariffs, which he described as the highest in the world, and called the situation a “totally one-sided disaster.”
“India has now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.
The Trump administration has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 per cent levies for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 per cent, among the highest in the world.
India has called the tariffs imposed by the US “unjustified and unreasonable”.
New Delhi said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.
Prime Minister Modi has asserted he can't compromise on the interests of farmers, cattle-rearers, small-scale industries, cautioning "pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it".