External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called the US decision to raise tariffs on Indian goods to 50% “unjustified and unreasonable,” questioning why China and Europe, larger importers of Russian energy, were not similarly targeted.
Speaking at the ET World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar said President Trump’s practice of conducting foreign policy publicly marks a significant departure from past administrations.
He added that Washington’s use of tariffs for both trade and non-trade issues is new, and India must firmly defend its trade positions in ongoing talks with the US.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday criticised the United States for levying more tariffs on India, describing the action as "unjustified and unreasonable." In response to President Donald Trump's announcement that tariffs on Indian goods would be increased to 50 per cent, Jaishankar pointed out that the topic of India buying Russian oil had not been brought up previously and asked why China, which continues to be the biggest importer of Russian oil, had not received the same criticism.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, the EAM highlighted that Trump, in the majority of cases, conducts his foreign policy very publicly.
“If the argument is oil, then there are (other) big buyers. If the argument is who is trading more (with Russia), then there are bigger traders,” he said. Russia-European trade is bigger than India-Russia trade, he added.
“This is being presented as an oil issue. But why I say ‘being presented’ is because the same arguments that have been used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, which is China, and the largest LNG importer, which is the European nations,” Jaishankar said.
The EAM further explained that although trade talks with Washington are still ongoing, New Delhi must defend certain positions.
"We've not had a U.S. president who's conducted foreign policy as publicly as the current one. That itself is a departure that's not limited to India," said Jaishankar.
The minister went on to say that Trump's use of tariffs for both trade and non-trade issues is new. The EAM went on to say that the Trump administration frequently makes its initial announcement in public before addressing the relevant party.
"The fact that a lot of this is said in public. Often, the first pronouncement in public is even more unusual. This is a situation which the entire world is facing," said Jaishankar.
Due to Washington's increased imports of Russian energy, Indian commodities are subject to additional US tariffs of up to 50 per cent, which are among the highest. A 25 per cent tax is already in place, and the remaining 25 per cent will be applied starting on August 27.
