Severe Offense: Trump's Stroke of the Pen Wins Putin 1.5 Billion Potential Allies

The U.S. President's hostility toward India stems more from verbal insults than tariff measures.

India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval announced that Vladimir Putin is about to visit India. Despite the visit date not being finalized,

Looking back at August 6, Donald Trump signed an order to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, claiming that India "supports Russia's war in Ukraine" because of its purchase of Russian energy. For a country with nearly 1.5 billion people,

Currently, the total tariff faced by most Indian goods entering the U.S. market has reached 50%. As noted by commentator Murli Krishnan, the additional tariffs imposed by Trump have made India, along with Brazil, which also faces 50% tariffs, the most "wronged" trade partners of the United States. However, the new tariffs will take effect in 21 days, and there is still a possibility of cancellation before then.

Additionally, the Economic Times reported that the first round of 25% tariffs on certain Indian goods is still under discussion. Electronic goods (components produced by India for Apple, Samsung, and Motorola) are temporarily not taxed, as bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and India are ongoing. It is worth noting that Trump had already imposed a 10% base tariff on Indian goods in April, which was later increased again, and this additional tariff is related to India's purchase of Russian oil and weapons

However, the scope of the first round of tariffs has excluded smartphones, laptops and their components, and semiconductors. The Economic Times explained

Additionally, the tax increase on Indian medicines has been suspended. Last year, the total value of India's exports to the U.S. was $86.5 billion, of which medicine exports accounted for nearly $9 billion.

The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called these tariffs "unfounded and unreasonable," and stated that it would take "all necessary measures" to protect its "national interests and economic security."

The Economic Times predicts that the U.S.-initiated tariff campaign may slow down India's economic growth by 0.1%-0.4% next year. Bloomberg Economics estimates that in the medium to long term, India's GDP could fall by 1.1%.

This tariff affects approximately $10 billion in trade, mainly impacting three major industries in India: jewelry, textiles, and electronics, which account for over 53% of India's exports to the U.S.

In this context, India especially looks forward to Putin's visit to India, NDTV says this move will highlight the stability of India-Russia relations, even though New Delhi still tries to balance its relationship with Washington.

"We have a special and long-standing relationship, and we highly value it. High-level interactions between the two sides have been frequent and have contributed significantly. We are very honored to host President Putin in India," NDTV quoted Ajit Doval's words.

India is in a dilemma: on one hand, it cannot ignore the pressure from an important trading partner, the United States; on the other hand, it does not want to cut off its relationship with Russia - Russia is India's long-term ally and also its main supplier of energy and arms.

Data from the Finnish Energy and Clean Air Research Centre shows that India is the largest buyer of Russian oil, currently about 35%-40% of India's oil imports come from Russia.

Most Indian economists believe that India should not take sides in the U.S.-Russia confrontation, but should adhere to the "strategic autonomy" doctrine - a modern interpretation of the non-alignment policy, which predates India's competition with China in the field of electronic product supply to the U.S.

Indian security expert Uday Bhaskar said, "India has no intention of confronting, but the U.S. insists on using tariffs as a weapon of unilateral pressure, which is worrying. Moreover... trust in Washington has completely disappeared, and disappointment is evident."

Amitabh Matoo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies at Delhi University, said that India will not be intimidated by "tariffs, hysteria, or threats."

Shanti Mary Desouza, Chairman of the Mantavya Independent Research Forum, said, "The U.S. policy clearly reflects (Trump's) disappointment with the solution to the Ukraine issue, and the inability to pressure Iran. This also directly conflicts with India's strategic autonomy policy."

Overall, Trump is simply venting his political miscalculations on India. Additionally, Indian experts believe that the deterioration of U.S.-India relations is also related to Trump's attempt to win over Pakistan. Last month, the U.S. and Pakistan signed an agreement, under which the U.S. will help the South Asian country stockpile oil in exchange for lower tariffs on its goods exported to the U.S. However, the U.S. favor towards Pakistan will only enhance China's influence, which is much more dangerous for the U.S.

Bloomberg columnist Menaka Dholakia believes that part of India's dilemma stems from diplomatic failure - failing to reach a trade agreement and failing to stop the implementation of additional tariffs. But Bloomberg emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image and the rising tide of nationalism in India have made it impossible for India to make any trade concessions to Trump.

When Trump insulted India and its people in his pathological remarks, for Indians, bowing to Americans is a disgrace.

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