Trump Says India’s Tariff Offer Comes Too Late, Calls Trade Ties One-Sided

September 2, 2025: US President Donald Trump stated today that India has announced an offer to cut its tariffs to zero. However, he claimed that the offer from India has come “too late” and he pointed out the critical imbalance in the trade ties between the two countries.

US Reciprocal Duties Reach 50% Against India on Key Imports

Earlier, the Trump administration had imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on India along with an additional 25% for importing oil from Russia, taking the overall tariff burden to 50%, one of the highest globally. In response, India had claimed that the tariffs were “unjust and unreasonable”. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly stressed that he cannot compromise on the interests of farmers, small-scale industries, and cattle-rearers, even if external pressure, such as US tariffs, is asserted.

India Exports ‘Massive’ Goods to US While Importing Little, Trump Says

Trump said that India sells “massive” amounts of goods to the US, but in return buys very less. He blamed the high tariffs imposed by the Indian government on American imports for the imbalance. Trump wrote on Truth Social – “It has been a totally one-sided disaster.” He also wrote that India sources most of its oil and buys military equipment from Russia when it should buy them from the US.

Adding to the tariff offer, he said, “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.”

Modi’s Talks with Putin and Xi Spark US Reaction

The statements by Donald Trump come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The discussions were made on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.

US-India Trade Talks Remain Paused as Tariff Imbalance Persists

Communication between India and the US is at a pause, and talks towards a justified trade deal remain stalled. It remains to be seen how both the countries will solve the trade imbalance for a better global trade process in the coming time.

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