India ‘Offered To Cut Tariffs To Nothing, But…’: Trump Calls Trade ‘One Sided Disaster’ After Modi Meets Putin, Xi
Trump criticised India's trade policies as a "one-sided disaster", for the US, citing high tariffs and reliance on Russian oil. This came hours after Modi met with Putin to strengthen India-Russia ties.
United States President Donald Trump on Monday criticised India’s trade policies, describing them as a “totally one sided disaster” for the US, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up a series of high-profile engagements at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. He claimed that New Delhi has offered to reduce its tariffs to 'nothing' but remarked that “it’s getting late”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client,’ but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!”
Modi-Putin Talks: Trade, Energy and Ukraine
On the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin for a bilateral discussion focused on reinforcing the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X: “India-Russia| Bolstering the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM @narendramodi met President Mr. Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Both leaders discussed India-Russia bilateral ties, including in the economic, financial and energy sectors.”
The leaders also spoke about the Ukraine conflict. According to the MEA, Modi reiterated India’s support for peace initiatives and stressed the urgency of halting hostilities to achieve a durable settlement. Bilateral trade, which hit a record $68.7 billion in FY 2024-25, was highlighted as a key area of cooperation. Modi also conveyed that he looked forward to receiving Putin in India later this year for the 23rd Annual Summit.
Days before the summit, Modi held a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Following the exchange, Modi posted: “Thank you, President Zelenskyy, for your phone call today. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspects, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction.”
Modi’s SCO Address and Meeting With Xi
At the SCO leaders’ session, Modi called for stronger action against terror financing and radicalisation, referencing the recent Pahalgam terror attack. He underlined India’s approach to SCO cooperation through three pillars — Security, Connectivity and Opportunity — and congratulated Kyrgyzstan for assuming the presidency.
The Prime Minister also met Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders recognised progress in bilateral ties since their meeting at the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024. They agreed that India and China should act as “development partners and not rivals” while ensuring differences do not turn into disputes.
Concluding his trip, Modi described the summit as fruitful. On X, he wrote: “Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India’s stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit.”
The Prime Minister also reflected on his preceding visit to Japan for the India-Japan Annual Summit, calling its outcomes “productive” and expressing confidence that bilateral ties would “scale newer heights.”
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