Prime Minister Modi is preparing for significant diplomatic engagements, including a visit to China and hosting Putin amid US tariff threats.
India suddenly finds itself in the crosshairs of the United States' renewed effort to exert pressure on Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine. On August 6, President Donald Trump announced a hike in US tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percentfrom the existing 25 percent,citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil. ndia hit back, saying the move was “unfair” and “unjustified.”
Donald Trump's penalty on India is intended to squeeze Moscow’s oil earnings and push President Vladimir Putin towards a ceasefire. The higher tariffs will take effect in 21 days, on August 27.
Ravi Batra, a prominent Indian-American attorney, stated that in light of Trump's tariffs, "much more is at stake" regarding the current situation between India and the United States. What's next for India?
On Thursday, Dammu Ravi, secretary of economic relations in India's external affairs ministry, told reporters that the US tariff hike “lacks logic.”
"This is a temporary aberration, a temporary problem that the country will face, but in course of time, we are confident that the world will find solutions," he said.
Additionally, he suggested that India might attempt to rebalance its international partnerships. The Indian official said whenever any country faces tariff "walls," it looks for new markets where it can trade,the Middle East, Latin America, Africa,, and South Asia are among the regions India will target.
He stated, "You will automatically look at other opportunities if the US becomes difficult to export to." PM Modi andand Brazil's president hold talks..
On Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva discussed "regional and global issues of mutual interest" in a phone call, as the Latin American nation's leader maps out plans for BRICS nations to tackle the levies by Donald Trump.
Brazil, in its statement, said it and India are the most affected countries by Trump's levies and that they needed to address the challenges of the current situation.
Dammu Ravi, in his statement to the media, said, “Like-minded countries will look for cooperation and economic engagement that will be mutually beneficial to all sides."
On Thursday, Russia's state-run RIA news agency reported that Putin and India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval discussed their commitment to a "strategic partnership." External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to visit Russia on a previouslyously scheduled trip. odi is expected to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in India later this year.
PM Modi's China visit
In addition, Modi is getting ready for his first trip to China in more than seven years, pointing to a possible diplomatic realignment in the midst of growing tensions with Washington. Bloomberg was informed by officials in New Delhi that Modi will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security group led by Beijing, and hold a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines. The SCO summit is scheduled to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1.
Modi received moral support on Wednesday from Xu Feihong, the ambassador of China to New Delhi. In response to a quote from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemning the use of tariffs "as a weapon to suppress other countries," Xu wrote on X, "Give the bully an inch, and and he will take a mile." Regarding the interests of farmers, PM Modi says, "No compromise." Modi said on Thursday he will not compromise the interests of the country's farmers even if he has to pay a heavy price, in his first comments after Trump's tariffshock.
Modi said at a New Delhi event, "Our farmers' welfare is supreme."" India will never compromise on the well-beingg of its farmers, dairy sector,and fishermen. e continued, "And I know personally that I will have to pay a heavy price for it." US import taxes are one part of a multilayered tariff strategy that includes national security-based sectoral tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, autos, steel, aluminum, copper, lumber,, and other goods. Trump said on Wednesday that the microchip duties could reach 100%.
China is on a separate tariff track and will face a potential tariff increase on August 12 unless Trump approves an extension of a prior truce.
He has said he may impose additional tariffs on China's purchases of Russian oil as he seeks to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine.
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