The US–India relations witnessed a sudden and dramatic nosedive over the past few weeks after President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on New Delhi.
Trump has cited India’s continued import of Russian oil as the reason for imposing the 25 per cent punitive tariff in addition to the 25 per cent duty he had already announced. However, experts feel there is more to this than meets the eye.
Vikas Swarup, India’s former High Commissioner to Canada, claimed there are mainly three reasons why Trump is not happy with India. The first and foremost is India’s membership in the BRICS, which, Trump thinks, is an anti-American alliance and is hell-bent on creating an alternative currency to the dollar.
“So, because of that, he feels that India should not be a member of the BRICS,” said Swarup in an interview to the ANI news agency.
#WATCH | On the diplomatic row between India and the US in the wake of tariffs, former diplomat Vikas Swarup says, "We have to understand why these tariffs have been imposed. I personally feel that there are three reasons. One, Trump is not happy with India because we are a… pic.twitter.com/ZhsrTAHDup
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2025
The second reason, according to the former diplomat, is India’s continuous denial of Trump’s role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire after Operation Sindoor. New Delhi has maintained that the ceasefire was mediated between the forces of both countries following a request from the DGMO of Pakistan.
“Trump has said almost 30 times that it was he who got the two countries to stop back from the brink, who stopped a nuclear conflagration in the subcontinent. So, obviously, he is miffed that India has not acknowledged his role, whereas Pakistan has not only acknowledged his role but has even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize," Swarup said in the interview.
#WATCH | Former diplomat Vikas Swarup says, "We have to look at US' relationship with Pakistan in a different lens from the US' relationship with India. I think the relationship with Pakistan right now is a very tactical one and is a short-term one, primarily motivated by the… pic.twitter.com/2ItidS0LFm
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2025
The former envoy also felt that India's reluctance on certain terms in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BLA), which the US is pushing New Delhi to sign, has also irked Trump.
New Delhi has not agreed to certain provisions related to dairy, agriculture and GM crops, and Swarup said the new tariff is part of Trump’s pressure tactics to get India to sign the deal.
“This is part of his pressure tactics to get India to sign on the dotted line on the maximalist demands that the US is making with regard to access to our dairy and agriculture and GM Crops,” he said.
