Title: Will India–US Relations Recover? Trump, Modi and the Oil-Tariff
Trump says he’ll “always be Modi’s friend” even as trade advisers attack India and tariffs threaten bilateral cooperation.
By Real contentPublished 4 months ago • 5 min read
- Will India–US Relations Recover? Trump, Modi and the Oil-Tariff
US President Donald Trump has described relations between the United States and India as “very special” and said that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “will always remain friends” and that “there is nothing to worry about.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised Trump’s statement. He said that he sincerely values President Trump’s sentiments and fully supports him.
In a post on social media platform X, he wrote:
“I appreciate President Trump’s feelings and his positive thoughts about our relationship. India and the United States have a highly positive, comprehensive, and globally strategic partnership based on understanding.”
On social media, users are sharing interesting comments on this U-turn, but many Indian users are also criticizing both Trump and Modi.
Earlier, Trump had said that it seems “we have lost India and Russia to China.”
When asked to respond to Trump’s remarks, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “I have nothing to say on this.”
Apart from Trump, his trade adviser Peter Navarro has also once again targeted India.
Navarro said that India does not accept the truth and twists the matter.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has called Navarro’s statements misleading.
Will India–US relations be the same as before?
Trump was asked: “Are you ready to restart relations with India at this time?”
In response, Trump said:
“I will always remain Modi’s friend. He is a great prime minister. I will always remain a friend, but I don’t like what he is doing right now. However, India and the United States have very special relations, there is nothing to worry about. Sometimes such situations happen.”
When asked who he held responsible for India falling into China’s hands, Trump said:
“I don’t think we’ve lost them. I am disappointed that India is buying Russian oil, and I have imposed a 50% tariff to make that clear to them. But I get along well with Modi.”
Asked about ongoing trade agreements with India and other countries, Trump said:
“Negotiations are going very well. Other countries are also doing well. We are doing well with everyone.”
Analysts say that President Trump is an “unpredictable” personality. He can change his stance at any time.
Navtej Sarna, who served as India’s ambassador to the US, said that Donald Trump was an unpredictable leader in his first term, and this approach has only intensified in his second.
Sarna said that President Trump is running the presidency in a completely different way. All of his advisers have become loyal to him. No one is ready to advise him.
Washington-based journalist and author Seema Sirohi says that policies in the United States are being made by only one person—Donald Trump. Policies are not being made bottom-up but top-down.
Sarna said that the trust both countries built over 20–25 years has now weakened significantly. President Trump attacked the Indian economy and bilateral ties without any solid reason.
Sarna said: “President Trump has attacked this relationship, the Indian economy, and our ties.”
Seema Sirohi said: Those who worked to improve this relationship over the past 25 years say that President Trump is destroying it entirely.
There is also resentment in India over America’s behavior. In many places, demands have been raised that if the US imposes a 50% tariff, India should also retaliate. But Sarna considers this an emotional reaction.
Sarna said:
“In my view, retaliatory action would be somewhat emotional. Our long-term interest is to preserve as much as possible of the progress, benefits, and cooperation we have had with the United States.”
He also said that India should not be so dependent on any one country that when a problem arises, it turns into a crisis for us.
Seema Sirohi said that if Prime Minister Modi and President Trump talk on the phone, things could either get worse or improve.
According to her: if you want to change President Trump’s thinking, you will have to work in unconventional ways.
Navarro and Howard Lutnick’s criticism of India
Late Friday night, Peter Navarro posted about India on his X account.
He wrote:
“India’s high tariff rates hurt American jobs. India buys oil from Russia only to make profits, and this money goes into Russia’s war machine. Ukrainians and Russians are being killed in this. American taxpayers have to spend more money. India does not accept the truth and only spins stories.”
Peter Navarro, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers, has recently been taking an aggressive stance in his remarks about India and Modi.
Earlier, Navarro had called the Russia–Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war.”
On August 29, he wrote on X that the revenue from Russian oil goes to India’s politically connected energy traders and directly into Putin’s war fund.
US Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick has said that India will have to choose between the United States and Russia.
In an interview, Lutnick said that before the Russia–Ukraine war, India bought only 2% of its oil from Russia, but after the war this figure rose to 40%.
According to him, India must decide where it stands. If it does not stop importing Russian oil, leave BRICS, and support the US and the dollar, it will face a 50% tariff.
Lutnick also said that India will soon apologize and come to the negotiating table with President Trump.
America’s stance on BRICS has been aggressive. In July 2025, after the BRICS summit in Brazil, Trump declared BRICS to be anti-American and threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on its member countries.
What did the Finance Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs say?
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reacted strongly to Peter Navarro’s statement about “Brahmins making profits.”
In an interview with a news channel, Sitharaman said that the statement about “Brahmins making profits” is exactly like the British policy of “divide and rule.”
Sitharaman said that India will continue to buy oil from Russia because India’s oil purchases are based on economic and commercial reasons.
On Navarro’s remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:
“We have seen Peter Navarro’s false and misleading statements, and we categorically reject them.”
The Ministry of External Affairs said that India will continue talks with the United States on trade matters.
Social media reactions
A user named Surbhi called the situation shameful, writing:
“Modi is quick to respond to praise, but stays silent on the nation’s humiliation.
“Modi has not said a word about the 42 times Trump has humiliated our nation’s integrity... but upon hearing his own praise, he immediately responded to Trump.”
She further wrote:
“What exactly is Modi thanking Trump for? For the 50% tariffs on India, or for the insults and putting India on par with Pakistan?”
A user named Ankit Mainak wrote:
“In the morning, he says we’ve lost India to China. At night, he says we haven’t lost India but will still impose 50% tariffs. Donald Trump is the American version of Modi.”
A user named Advait Kala wrote:
“Trump extended a hand to India late. While Prime Minister Modi accepted it graciously, the trust is broken. Now the next step is rebuilding relations, in which India seems more neutral than before. There was a time when these relations looked very promising.”
Many users wrote that Modi did not respond directly but simply shared the ANI bullet points praising him.
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