External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hit out at US President Donald Trump for imposing 50% tariffs on India over Russian oil imports, calling it “funny” that a pro-business American administration was accusing others of doing business.
He added that if anyone has a problem buying oil or refined products from India, they should simply not buy it. Nobody is forcing them to do so. Europe buys, America buys, so if you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar said, “It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it.”
Trump 50% Tariff
Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods in July, despite hopes of an interim trade deal that could have helped avoid steep duties. Days later, he imposed another 25%, raising the total to 50%, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
White House Trade Adviser On Tariffs
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro claimed that the US imposed a 25% tariff on India over unfair trade practices, followed by another 25% due to New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil.
Jaishankar Criticises Trump’s Foreign Policy
Jaishankar also criticised Trump’s approach to foreign policy and said that his way of dealing with the world, including his own country, is quite different from the traditional approach.
“We’ve not had a US President who’s conducted foreign policy as publicly as the current one. That itself is a departure that’s not limited to India… President Trump’s way of dealing with the world, even dealing with his own country, is a very major departure from the traditional orthodox manner of doing so,” he said.
India-US Trade Negotiations Still On
Speaking about Trump’s 50% tariff, Jaishankar said that India-US trade negotiations are still ongoing, adding that the government is committed to defending the interests of farmers and small producers.
“Negotiations (India-US trade negotiations) are still going on. But the bottom line is we have some red lines. Negotiations are still going on in the sense that nobody said the negotiations are off. People do talk to each other. It’s not like there’s a ‘kutti’ there. Where we are concerned, the red lines are primarily the interests of our farmers and, to some extent, of our small producers. We, as a government, are committed to defending the interests of our farmers and our small producers. We are very determined on that. That’s not something that we can compromise on,” he said.
