- August 6, 2025
‘Not Particularly Friendly’: Tharoor Calls Out Trump’s ‘Double Standard’ Over Additional 25% Tariff
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the US is importing uranium and palladium from Russia, and have given China, which imports “far more” Russian oil, a 90-day break
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said under such circumstances, India will have to start looking at other trading partners
(Image: PTI/File)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday called out US President Donald Trump’s “double standard” for imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on India over buying Russian oil.
Tharoor said this has “not been a particularly friendly gesture” for the United States and the Trump administration, which seemed to be “well disposed” towards India. He said while the Americans are themselves importing uranium and palladium from Russia, they have also given China, which also imports “far more” Russian oil, a 90-day break.
“Uranium, Palladium, there are various things they (US) are importing from Russia. There is, unfortunately, a certain double standard involved. They have given the Chinese a 90-day break, but the Chinese are importing far more Russian oil than we are. So clearly this has not been a particularly friendly gesture from a country we thought was well disposed towards us, an administration that we thought was well disposed,” Tharoor told reporters, responding to the imposition of a doubled tariff of 50 per cent against Indian goods.
Tharoor further said under such circumstances, India will have to start looking at other trading partners and there will likely be “pressure within India” to impose comparable reciprocal tariffs on American exports to India.
“Very clearly, we have to act accordingly, and we will have to learn our lessons from this experience. I think there is certainly a likelihood that there will be some pressure within India now to impose comparable reciprocal tariffs on American exports to India. So I think we’re going to have to really start looking at other trading partners much more in these circumstances,” he added.
India, too, strongly condemned the decision, describing it as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable”. In a firmly worded statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said the US had recently “targeted India’s oil imports from Russia” despite New Delhi having articulated its position on the issue.
Trump signed the executive order to place an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the US on its ally to 50%. The tariffs will go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes.
As part of a negotiating period, Trump has placed 30 percent tariffs on goods from China, a rate that is smaller than the combined import taxes with which he has threatened India.
(With agency inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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