'Trump Miffed With India For Snubbing Ceasefire Role’: Ex-Diplomat On US Tariffs

Former diplomat Vikas Swarup says US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs partly because India refused to credit him for brokering a ceasefire with Pakistan.

Trump Miffed With India Over Ceasefire Snub, Says Ex-Diplomat

Source : facebook

Former diplomat Vikas Swarup has suggested that one of the driving factors behind Washington’s recent punitive tariffs on India is US President Donald Trump’s displeasure over New Delhi’s refusal to acknowledge his claimed role in easing tensions with Pakistan earlier this year.

Swarup, who previously served as India’s High Commissioner to Canada and is also a well-known author, described the US-Pakistan relationship as a “short-term, tactical arrangement” motivated largely by financial considerations. In contrast, he emphasized, Washington’s ties with New Delhi remain strategic in nature.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Swarup praised India’s decision to stand firm in trade negotiations, resisting pressure from the Trump administration. He predicted that the tariffs could backfire, pushing up inflation in the United States itself.

Why Washington Imposed Tariffs on India

According to Swarup, Trump’s frustration stems partly from India’s participation in the BRICS grouping. The US president, he said, views BRICS as an “anti-American alliance” with ambitions to challenge the dominance of the US dollar — and believes India should distance itself from it.

#WATCH | On the diplomatic row between India and the US in the wake of tariffs, former diplomat Vikas Swarup says, "We have to understand why these tariffs have been imposed. I personally feel that there are three reasons. One, Trump is not happy with India because we are a… pic.twitter.com/ZhsrTAHDup

— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2025

But the deeper irritation, Swarup claimed, is linked to New Delhi’s rejection of Trump’s repeated assertions that he personally brokered peace between India and Pakistan after a military flare-up in May, known as Operation Sindoor.

From the outset, India has maintained that the United States played no part in the ceasefire, reiterating its long-standing policy of rejecting third-party mediation. The truce, Swarup explained, was arranged directly between the armed forces of the two countries at Pakistan’s request.

“Trump has said nearly 30 times that he was the one who pulled the two countries back from the brink — that he prevented a nuclear conflict in the subcontinent,” Swarup noted. “He’s upset that India hasn’t acknowledged this, while Pakistan has not only credited him but even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.”

Trade Pressure and Inflation Risks

Swarup praised India’s decision not to yield to Washington’s demands for greater access to its agriculture, dairy, and genetically modified crop markets. He warned that Trump’s tariffs, initially 25 percent on Indian goods in July and later doubled to 50 percent over Russian oil imports, will ultimately hit American consumers the hardest.

“The US once called India the ‘Tariff King,’ but now the title belongs to the United States itself with 18.4 percent average tariffs compared to India’s 15.98 percent. Tariffs might bring in 100 billion dollars a year for Washington, but the cost will be passed on to households, driving up inflation,” he said.

Pakistan’s Lobbying Wins in Washington

Swarup dismissed suggestions that India’s foreign policy missteps are behind the recent US tilt toward Islamabad. Instead, he pointed to Pakistan’s aggressive lobbying, which includes two visits by Army Chief Asim Munir to Washington, an alleged deal over “oil reserves,” and a high-profile push to position Pakistan as a regional cryptocurrency hub.

He claimed ventures linked to Trump’s family and associates, including World Liberty Financial, have helped Pakistan market itself as a “reliable partner” in digital finance, softening Washington’s stance toward the country.

“Pakistan is now trying to position itself as the ‘Crypto King’ of South Asia,” Swarup said, adding that these business ties have influenced Trump’s softer approach toward Islamabad.

“But that does not mean he has given up on India or sees it as an adversary,” he stressed. “This is part of his pressure tactics to secure a better deal. Our strategic autonomy is non-negotiable.”

The Nobel Prize Ambition

Swarup portrayed Trump as a president eager to cement his image as a global peacemaker, something he believes could earn him the Nobel Peace Prize, just as Barack Obama did.

“Trump’s unique selling point now is that he is a mediator. From Thailand and Cambodia to Armenia and Azerbaijan, he has inserted himself into conflict situations. But he considers the India–Pakistan one the biggest because both are nuclear powers,” Swarup said.

According to him, Trump hopes that if he cannot win the prize for past efforts, brokering a Russia–Ukraine ceasefire might finally clinch it. Trump is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, a meeting that has raised concerns among Kyiv and its allies that the two leaders could try to dictate terms of peace in the ongoing war.

A Passing Storm in US-India Relations

While tensions have recently flared, Swarup views this as a storm, not a rupture. He sees US–Pakistan engagement as transactional and short-term, driven by financial interests in cryptocurrency assets, unlike the deeper strategic partnership with India.

“All storms eventually pass,” he said, warning that Washington risks a strategic blunder by cozying up to Pakistan, which maintains close ties with China, America’s main global rival.

The Indus Waters Flashpoint

Swarup also touched on Pakistan’s growing unease over India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack. He accused Islamabad of stoking nuclear fears to grab global attention.

“Pakistan is heavily dependent on those rivers. Their threats to destroy dams are easier said than done. This is nuclear blackmail, plain and simple,” he said.

India had also slammed remarks by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during his recent visit to the United States, in which he made a nuclear threat. Swarup alleged that such statements are a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to provoke fear of a nuclear confrontation so that external powers will step in as mediators.

Meanwhile, lured by fraudulent travel agents with promises of lucrative jobs, dozens of young Indians were tricked into joining the Russian army and sent to the front lines of the war in Ukraine. This investigative series, "Operation Beta," uncovers a sprawling human trafficking scam, revealing the harrowing stories of those who survived, the families searching for the missing, and the ruthless agents who profited from their despair.