Modi Stands Firm Against US Tariffs
(MENAFN) Showing firm resolve in response to intensified US tariffs, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Thursday that he was prepared to bear a "heavy price," affirming he would "never compromise" on safeguarding the priorities of the country's citizens.
This firm statement came just a day after US President Donald Trump issued an executive directive to enforce an added 25% duty on Indian products, a move tied to India’s ongoing procurement of Russian oil.
The executive action raises total US duties on Indian goods to 50%, with half of the additional charges taking effect beginning Thursday.
"The welfare of our farmers is the highest priority,” Modi stated during a gathering in the capital city of New Delhi, emphasizing that “India will never compromise on the interests of its farmers, livestock rearers, and fishermen."
“I know I will have to pay a heavy personal price for this. But I am ready for it,” he added.
Indian officials in New Delhi labeled Trump's aggressive tariff increase as “extremely unfortunate” and condemned the decision as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
President Trump has accused India of reaping benefits from reselling Russian oil, which Washington sees as undermining its sanctions and diplomatic efforts.
Despite India being among the early nations to open trade negotiations with the US, no agreement has been finalized. New Delhi has resisted Washington’s demands for broader entry into its agricultural and dairy sectors.
"Tariff agenda is at the core of Trump's policymaking. I don't think that there is anything additional when he is dealing with India. He wants to cut a favorable deal for the US with India. In a way, his general approach is quite transactional – give less and take more," Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior research consultant at Chintan Research Foundation, New Delhi, told a news agency.
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