President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is imposing punitive tariffs on Indian’s government for purchasing military equipment from Russia.
In a post on Truth Social, the president stated that “while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country.”
Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!
The tariffs will apply to a sweeping range of goods coming from India, according to NBC News.
While 25% is slightly lower than the 26% that Trump threatened on April 2, it is still a sharp increase from 2.4%, which is the average tariff rate applied to Indian imports in recent years. India is one of the top sources of imports for American consumers and companies with nearly $90 billion of goods flowing in from India last year.
Some of the top U.S. imports from India include chemicals, plastics, leather goods, agricultural products, and metals. Oils, cement, stone, glass, and machinery rank as India's top purchases from the U.S.
The announcement comes ahead of a Friday deadline for countries to negotiate new trade terms that Trump also said Wednesday “stands strong” and “will not be extended.” The president has signaled dozens of other countries will face a new baseline tariff level of as much as 20% — higher than the already-elevated 10% he announced in April.
The left-leaning Indian National Congress political party responded to Trump’s announcement, criticizing him for imposing “such harsh tariff on India.”
Donald Trump has just imposed a 25% tariff on India. He has also imposed a penalty.
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 30, 2025
⦁ Modi campaigns for Trump.
⦁ Gives out slogans like 'Abki Baar Trump Sarkar'.
⦁ Hugs him like a long-lost brother.
In return, Trump goes on to impose such harsh tariff on India.
It is… pic.twitter.com/EOq0i03mf7
India has long relied on the Kremlin for its military supplies. Russia accounts for about 65 percent of India’s $60 billion in weapons imports over the past two decades. The Indian government has not yet responded to Trump’s announcement.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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