Trump’s 50% Tariffs on India Draw Fire
Haley, Zakaria, Sachs warn move risks derailing US-India ties, aiding China
- Trump threatens 25% extra tariff on India’s Russian oil trade
- India now faces total 50% US import duty
- Nikki Haley calls tariffs a “strategic disaster”
- Zakaria says move undoes decades of diplomacy
GG News Bureau
United Nations, 21st Aug: US President Donald Trump has triggered bipartisan backlash and expert criticism after threatening punitive 25% tariffs on India’s Russian oil trade, doubling import duties to 50%. The move, seen as an economic offensive against New Delhi, risks undermining Washington’s strategic partnership with India, long regarded as a counterweight to China in Asia.
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, in an op-ed, warned that scuttling 25 years of diplomatic momentum with India would be a “strategic disaster.” She argued that India must be treated as a prized democratic partner, not an adversary, noting its critical role in diversifying US supply chains away from China.
Geopolitical analyst Fareed Zakaria slammed the tariffs as “America’s biggest foreign policy mistake,” cautioning that New Delhi may now hedge its bets with Russia and China. Economist Jeffrey Sachs called Trump’s move “the stupidest tactical decision,” suggesting it inadvertently strengthens BRICS unity.
Senior Congressman Gregory Meeks also criticised the “tariff tantrum,” warning that decades of trust-building risk being undone. The criticism underscores mounting concern in Washington that Trump’s second-term trade stance could derail ties with India while sparing Beijing, the largest buyer of Russian oil, from similar measures.
