Trump Admits 50% Tariffs 'Caused Rift With India': 'Not An Easy Thing To Do'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Donald Trump admitted on Friday that imposing tariffs on India for buying Russian oil soured the relations between India and the US, stating that it“caused a rift” with India.

“Look, India was their biggest customer. I put a 50 per cent tariff on India because they're buying oil from Russia. That's not an easy thing to do. That's a big deal and it causes a rift with India,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Friday.

US-India ties have been strained following Trump's imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on all Indian goods, with the POTUS and his aide Peter Navarro repeatedly criticising India's energy ties with Russia

Meanwhile, India has maintained that it will continue to buy oil from Russia stating that it is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

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"But I've already done it. I've done a lot,” Trump added in his interview, speaking about the US levies.

“And remember this is a Europe problem much more than our problem,” Trump continued in his interview.

The POTUS's latest comments come after he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed talks between India and US - following weeks of Trump's anti-India rants.

India-US trade talks

On Friday, Sergio Gor, Trump's close aide and nominee for US Ambassador to India, emphasised the "deep friendship" between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump, pointing out that the two countries are "not that far apart" to finalise the trade deal.

Earlier, Union Minister Piyush Goyal had announced that“India is in active dialogue” with the US for a trade agreement.

The minister also said that negotiations are underway with the European Union as well in the national capital for concluding a trade agreement.

What are the US tariffs on India

US President Donald Trump imposed a total of 50% tariffs on all goods imported from India, on top of the pre-existing 10% baseline import duty on any good imported into the Western nation.

The latest round of US tariffs, a 25% import duty, was imposed on India via an executive order dated 6 August 2025. These additional tariffs came into effect from 27 September 2025.

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Before the additional tariffs, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all Indian goods imported into the United States, one day ahead of his initial 1 August 2025 deadline.

The POTUS had attributed his heavy tariff move to India being a 'vast majority' buyer of military equipment and crude oil from Russia. Trump, in a social media post, also claimed that India, in one way, has been enabling Russia in the war against Ukraine through the oil purchases.

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