The escalation marks the sharpest deterioration in US-India trade relations in decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denounced the measures as “unfair and unjustified,” noting that other major buyers of Russian crude have not been penalized. “We will protect our farmers and our domestic interests, even if we must pay a heavy price,” he told a rally in Gujarat in response to the tariffs.
Within days, India announced a pause on planned US defense acquisitions — a not-so-subtle signal that its strategic options extend far beyond the Pentagon’s procurement lists. Senior officials have begun mapping out a menu of counter-moves, from limited retaliatory tariffs to deeper integration with BRICS partners and other non-Western economies.
