'It's getting late, they should have done so years ago': Trump claims India 'offered to cut tariffs to nothing'
US President Donald Trump on Monday said that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on US goods to zero, underscoring that New Delhi should have done so years ago.
The Trump administration has imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 percent on Russian oil purchases, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 percent, among the highest in the world.
Trump has accused India of supporting Moscow's war on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.
However, he did not impose tougher sanctions on Russia itself.
Defending India's oil purchase, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar argued that the same yardstick has not been applied to China and the European Union, the largest importer of Russian crude oil and Russian LNG, respectively.
"They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago," Trump posted on Truth Social.
He also said that the relationship between the two countries has been a "one-sided disaster".
New Delhi said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.
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 (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
Since his return to the White House this year, Trump has wielded tariffs as a wide-ranging policy tool, with the levies upending global trade.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday ruled that many of Trump's tariffs were illegal as he did not have the authority to impose them.
However, the court allowed the levies to remain in place for now, giving Trump time to take the fight to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.
India-US bilateral ties witnessed a deterioration after the Trump administration imposed a massive 50 percent tariff on India.
Previously viewed as India-friendly, the Trump administration slapped a 25 percent tariff on the South Asian country for its high tariffs on American exports and another 25 percent for purchasing oil from Russia which is fighting a war against Ukraine.
In a strong optics of diplomacy, PM Modi on Monday took a car ride with Russia's President Vladimir Putin after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Tianjin.
The premiers of the two countries headed for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the meet.
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