Trump lashes out at journalist over Putin question, drags India into spat

During a bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a journalist posed a pointed question to US President Trump regarding Vladimir Putin. Read the full story to know his answer.

A journalist posed a pointed question to US President Donald Trump regarding Russia and Vladimir Putin. The journalist asked Trump why no action had been taken against Russia. Trump, in response, retorted, "How do you know there's been no action? Would you say that imposing secondary sanctions on India, the second-largest buyer after China, is not an action? Would you say there's been no action?" He claimed that imposing tariffs on India had caused Moscow billions of dollars in losses. He also mentioned that work was underway on second and third-stage sanctions against Russia. "Find something else," he added.

During a bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office, President Trump stated that India had been given a clear warning that continuing to purchase oil from Russia would lead to problems. The US has imposed a 25% additional tariff on India due to its purchase of Russian oil, bringing the total US tariff on India to 50%.

When questioned about the chemistry between Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping during China's Victory Day parade, Trump once again brought up India. Trump stated that the US had imposed tariffs on India for buying Russian oil and that they were considering other measures as well.

India: The World's Highest Tariff Imposer

US President Donald Trump asserted that India was the world's highest tariff-imposing nation, but that India had now proposed to not impose tariffs. However, Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and Director General of the Jadeja Motwani Institute for American Studies at OP Jindal Global University, refuted this claim by the Trump administration.

Mohan Kumar stated that the tariff war initiated by the US violated its commitments under World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. He pointed out that India's trade-weighted tariff is a "respectable 4.6 percent," while the simple average tariff is approximately 16 percent. Kumar explained that India maintains high tariffs in the agricultural sector to protect the interests of its farmers. He added that no Indian government would reduce tariffs in the agricultural sector; it would be tantamount to suicide.

No Compromise on Farmers' Interests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasized that domestic priorities would not be compromised under external pressure. PM Modi stated that while pressure might increase, it would be endured. The Indian government would not compromise the interests of farmers and livestock farmers.