US President Donald Trump threatened India with 25% tariffs starting Friday, straining relations with a defiant New Delhi.
India was one of the first countries to begin US trade talks, and hopes were high for a deal as their leaders boasted warm ties and New Delhi took a conciliatory approach. But India toughened its stance to protect domestic industries, “signaling a more assertive phase in its global economic engagement,” The Economic Times wrote.
Trump also vowed to penalize India over its purchase of Russian oil, which accounts for 40% of New Delhi’s crude imports. The tariffs — which one analyst said have dragged US-India ties to their worst level since the mid-1990s — also endanger India’s status as a manufacturing alternative to China.