United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that India has offered to slash tariffs on American goods to zero, but warned that the gesture comes “too late” amid escalating trade tensions.
Calling Washington’s relationship with New Delhi “one-sided,” Trump wrote on Truth Social: “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.” His remarks followed steep US tariffs of up to 50 per cent imposed last week on Indian imports, targeting sectors from textiles to seafood, in retaliation for India’s massive purchases of Russian oil.
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The Indian Embassy in Washington has yet to respond, but New Delhi earlier condemned the levies as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.” Analysts say the 50pc duty is tantamount to a trade embargo, already forcing cancelled orders and job losses, with exporters warning of rivals like Bangladesh and Vietnam seizing US market share.
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Since reclaiming the White House, Trump has used tariffs as a sweeping policy weapon, upending global trade patterns. The latest clash has rattled US-India ties at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a sign of India’s pivot towards Beijing and Moscow.
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Trade negotiations between Washington and New Delhi remain gridlocked over agriculture and dairy, with Trump demanding greater American access and Modi determined to shield India’s farmers, a core political constituency.
The US remains India’s largest export destination, with shipments worth $87.3 billion in 2024. But exporters now fear that the tariff war could cripple small businesses, cut jobs, and trigger a long-term shift in global supply chains.
