(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump launched a scathing critique of India and Russia late Wednesday, suggesting that the two countries "can take their dead economies down together." The statement came as Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on Indian goods—25% across multiple sectors—citing both economic grievances and India’s close trade ties with Moscow.

“We’ve done very little business with India. Their tariffs are too high—some of the highest in the world,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

Trump’s remarks follow a sharp escalation in his administration’s trade pressure on India, which has seen its annual trade surplus with the U.S. rise to over $41 billion in the 2024–25 fiscal year, amid $131.8 billion in total bilateral trade, according to Indian government data.

He also dismissed the significance of U.S.-Russia trade, stating that “Russia and the USA do almost no business together.” UN Comtrade data supports that claim, showing Russian exports to the U.S. amounted to just $3.27 billion in 2024.

The president also targeted former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, calling him “the failed former President of Russia who thinks he is still President,” and warning him to “watch his words” as he is “entering very dangerous territory.” The comments came in response to Medvedev’s online criticism of Trump’s earlier statement demanding that Russia end the Ukraine conflict “within ten days” of a potential Trump return to office.

Medvedev had responded by saying, “Russia is not Israel or Iran,” implying Moscow would not bow to U.S. ultimatums.

MENAFN31072025000045017281ID1109867775