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ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to &ldquo;please&rdquo; him, while renewing his warning that Washington could further raise tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil if New Delhi does not &ldquo;help&rdquo; on the issue. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump directly linked the threat to the Russia-Ukraine war and India&rsquo;s energy ties with Moscow. &ldquo;We could raise tariffs on India if they don&rsquo;t help on the Russian oil issue,&rdquo; he said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9XVjd3R2T3g?si=PzmknTUIwdZe0AL8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>Trump added that New Delhi was aware of his displeasure. &ldquo;They wanted to make me happy, basically. PM Modi&rsquo;s a very good man. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly,&rdquo; he said. The remarks reflect Washington&rsquo;s continued pressure on India over its oil imports from Russia, which Trump has repeatedly criticized. In August 2025, his administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, accusing New Delhi of indirectly strengthening Russia&rsquo;s war effort by buying discounted crude. India is already facing steep tariffs, despite defending its energy policy as necessary for domestic energy security. Trump has maintained a strong interest in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, positioning himself as a potential mediator while simultaneously using trade measures to push allies to align with US policy on Moscow. &#39;National shame&#39; Trump&rsquo;s remarks also drew criticism within India. Saurabh Bharadwaj, president of the Aam Aadmi Party&rsquo;s Delhi unit, described the comments as a &ldquo;national shame,&rdquo; saying they portrayed India as being arm-twisted by Washington.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 738px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008024326550028340&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2008024326550028340">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In a post on social media, Bharadwaj said a video circulating online showed US officials &ldquo;mocking India&rdquo; and bragging about how Trump pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut oil imports from Russia.&nbsp;He said Trump&rsquo;s claim that Modi wanted to &ldquo;make him happy&rdquo; damaged India&rsquo;s image and raised serious questions about New Delhi&rsquo;s foreign policy independence. Earlier, Trump said that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, describing it as a &ldquo;big step&rdquo; to increase pressure on Moscow. Indian officials later claimed that assertion, saying no such assurance or conversation had taken place. Trump&rsquo;s latest comments come as Indian and US officials have launched <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-india-start-fresh-trade-talks-seeking-elusive-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">another round of negotiations</a> aimed at easing long-standing trade tensions, which have been exacerbated by the sharp rise in tariffs and Washington&rsquo;s demands over New Delhi&rsquo;s Russia policy.

India

Says Modi knew it was "very important to make me happy."

Modi wants to please me: Trump

ISLAMABAD: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has called on India to open its markets and stop pursuing policies that he said harm American economic interests, placing New Delhi among Washington&rsquo;s top trade concerns.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have a bunch of countries to fix, like Switzerland, Brazil, India &mdash; these are countries that need to really react correctly to America,&rdquo; Lutnick told US broadcaster NewsNation. &ldquo;Open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America, and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re at odds with them.&rdquo;&nbsp;India is already subject to some of the highest US trade levies, including a 50% tariff on certain goods and a 25% penalty linked to its imports of Russian oil. Lutnick said countries that want access to US consumers &ldquo;have to play ball with the president of the United States.&rdquo; <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPbY-YQAIOA?&t=172s&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> &nbsp;Lutnick added, &ldquo;The way that President Trump does deals, the first deal is always the best deal. And then the next deal is higher, the next deal is higher, the next deal&rsquo;s higher.&rdquo; Lutnick&rsquo;s latest comments add to his rhetoric on India&rsquo;s trade and energy policies. He has previously described India&rsquo;s stance in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration as &ldquo;bravado.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said these countries [India and Brazil] need to recognize that access to US consumers requires aligning with the policies of the US president, the trade official said, adding that negotiations with other partners are continuing.&nbsp;India-USA trade talks&nbsp;His remarks come as India and the United States resume trade talks after years of friction. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington from Sept. 22 to 24, holding talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor.&nbsp;India&rsquo;s Commerce Ministry said the meetings were &ldquo;constructive,&rdquo; with both sides exchanging views on the contours of a potential agreement and agreeing to continue engagements toward an &ldquo;early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement.&rdquo;

Asia

Americas

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says countries like India and Brazil need to open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America.

Articles tagged with "US tari on India"

Modi wants to please me: Trump

‘We have to fix India’: US official says New Delhi must ‘stop harming’ America