India on Thursday reaffirmed the strength and resilience of India-US relations amid a fresh tirade from US President Donald Trump, who announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports starting August 1, citing high trade barriers and India’s continued reliance on Russian oil and military hardware.
In response to Trump’s claims, the MEA emphasized that the India-US relationship has “weathered many transitions and challenges” and remains anchored in shared interests and mutual respect.
“We have strong defence ties with the US which have been strengthening over the last several years,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly press briefing. “There is potential for our defence partnership to grow further. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that both countries have committed to.”
Despite the latest tariff announcement, the ministry expressed confidence that bilateral ties would continue to progress. “We are confident our relationship with the United States will continue to move forward,” Jaiswal added.
The MEA also clarified that ties between two countries shouldn’t be seen from the prism of a third nation. “Ties with any country, and all the ties that we have with various countries, stand on their own merit and shouldn’t be seen through the prism of a third country,” Jaiswal said.
His remarks came days after Trump referenced India buying oil and military equipment from Russia as he announced 25 per cent tariffs plus penalties for India.
The MEA spokesperson also asserted that India and Russia have had a steady and time-tested partnership.
When asked about India’s sourcing of energy and military equipment, he said, “The sourcing of defence requirement is determined solely by our national security imperatives and strategic assessments. Similarly, the sourcing of our energy needs…we are guided by what is available in the markets and by prevailing global circumstances.”
India had earlier reacted to Trump’s tariff announcement, saying it will be taking all steps to protect national interests.
“India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective,” the government had said in a statement.
It had also said that it was studying the implications of Trump’s tariff announcement.
