Modi was ready to 'make India great again,' then Trump put America first

U.S. ties with India, a key security partner in Asia, are being tested by trade, tariffs and New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

The U.S. and India’s blossoming friendship is at risk of fracturing, observers have warned, as President Donald Trump threatens to substantially increase tariffs on Indian goods over its purchases of Russian oil.

At the start of the year, India seemed to be one of the countries most likely to win Trump’s favor, given its growing role as an Asian counterweight to China and Trump’s close relationship with its leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But U.S. relations with India have instead come under strain over trade and other issues. Trump has threatened Apple and other companies that manufacture in India, moved closer to its biggest rival, Pakistan, and mocked India’s “dead” economy.

“He’s threatening to undo, or at least hit pause on, what has been two decades of steadily improving relations between India and the U.S.,” said Dhruva Jaishankar, executive director of the Observer Research Foundation America, a nonprofit group in Washington.

On Monday, citing India’s “massive” purchases of Russian oil, Trump said he would “substantially” increase the U.S. tariff on Indian imports, which is already one of the highest among Asian countries at 25%. Along with China, India is a top purchaser of Russian crude oil sanctioned by Western governments after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In a sharp response, India, a major U.S. security partner, said such criticism was “unjustified and unreasonable” and that it bought Russian oil with U.S. support.

“India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Monday. “The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S.-India tensions are mounting domestic political pressure on Modi, with opponents accusing him of failing to stand up to his “dear friend” Trump.

“The country is now bearing the cost of Narendra Modi’s ‘friendship,’” the opposition Congress party said last week.