'Unjustified and Unreasonable': S. Jaishankar Slams US Tariffs, Says India Will Not Compromise on Farmers' Interests
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar slammed US tariffs on Indian goods as “unjustified,” defended farmers’ interests, and stressed India’s right to strategic autonomy.
- World News
- 3 min read
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday strongly criticized the United States for imposing what he characterized as "unjustified and unreasonable" tariffs on Indian products. The comments followed the Trump administration's decision to increase levies to more than 50% in retaliation for India's acquisition of Russian oil.
Jaishankar emphasized during a news conference that safeguarding farmers and small producers continues to be India's top focus. He stated unequivocally that New Delhi would not give in to their demands.
"What we are concerned about is that red lines are primarily in the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. So when people pronounce that we have succeeded or failed, we, as a government, are committed to defending the interests of our farmers and small producers. We are determined on that. That's not something we can compromise," Jaishankar said.
Oil Dispute “Wrongly Presented”
The minister argued that the tariff issue was being misrepresented as an “oil dispute.” He highlighted that India was being unfairly singled out for its energy imports from Russia, while larger importers faced no such criticism.
Advertisement
"The second issue is that this is being presented as an oil issue. But why I say 'being presented' is because the same arguments that have been used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, which is China, and have not been applied to the largest LNG importer, which is the European nations," he said.
West’s Contradictory Stance
Jaishankar pointed out what he saw as a clear contradiction in the West’s position, noting that Europe trades with Russia on a much larger scale than India does.
Advertisement
"And when people say we are funding the war and putting the money, Russia-European trade is bigger than India-Russia trade. So, European money is not putting coffers? The overall Russia-EU trade is bigger than the Russia-India trade. If the argument is energy, they (the EU) are bigger buyers. If the argument is who is the bigger trader, they are bigger than us. India's exports to Russia have grown, but not that much," he added.
Assertion of Strategic Autonomy
Reiterating India’s independent decision-making, the minister underlined that choices taken in the national interest are India’s sovereign right.
"The issue of decisions that we make in our national interest is our right. And I would say that's what strategic autonomy is about," he said.
State of India-US Relations
On the current status of India-US ties, Jaishankar said that discussions were continuing despite the tensions.
"We are two big countries, as I say, the lines are not cut, people are talking to each other, and we will see where it goes," he said.
When asked about Washington’s new ambassador to India, Jaishankar chose not to comment. "Look, I am the Foreign Minister, I don't comment on ambassadorial appointments of other countries," he stated.
Visit to Russia
Earlier this week, Jaishankar paid an official visit to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin, Deputy First PM Denis Manturov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also co-chaired the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit involved wide-ranging discussions on terrorism, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and regional developments in West Asia and Afghanistan. During the visit, Jaishankar conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to President Putin and exchanged views on key bilateral as well as global issues.