Trump Tariffs India: India has hit the brakes on its plans to buy new US-made weapons and aircraft, in what appears to be the first clear signal of displeasure after fresh tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump strained bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades. According to three Indian officials cited by news agency Reuters, the decision marks a significant cooling in defence engagement. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s planned visit to Washington has also been cancelled.
Reuters reported that India had been preparing to send Rajnath Singh to the US in the coming weeks to announce some of these purchases. “That trip has been cancelled,” two of the officials told the agency.
The diplomatic setback follows Trump’s August 6 decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods. The US president described the move as “punishment for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil,” claiming that such imports meant “the country was funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” The new duties pushed total tariffs on some Indian exports to even higher levels, intensifying trade tensions between the two nations.