Steely Resolve
- Correspondent
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
In the face of mounting American pressure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has drawn a clear line by refusing to barter away India’s sovereignty or the livelihoods of its farmers, shopkeepers and small-scale producers. As Donald Trump unveiled plans to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, Modi has dismissed the move as unjustified and has vowed not to yield.
While Trump brandishes duties as a political weapon, pretending that punishing Indian exporters will somehow end the war in Ukraine, Modi has framed the standoff as a defence of ordinary Indians. India, he made clear, will not compromise its sovereignty for the sake of Washington’s theatrics.
The American president’s tariff threat is framed as punishment for India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil. The logic is tenuous at best. As one of the world’s largest oil importers, India depends on discounted Russian supplies that have saved billions of dollars and kept domestic fuel prices stable. To demand an abrupt severance from this source is unrealistic. Instead of forcing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the new duties are likely to devastate Indian exporters of textiles, gems, jewellery and seafood - industries with thin margins that employ millions.
The hypocrisy is hard to ignore. Washington continues to trade with regimes it denounces, while financing its own wars abroad. Energy markets are global, fluid and impossible to police perfectly; oil always finds new buyers through intermediaries and rerouted tankers. Penalising Indian exporters has little to do with Ukraine and everything to do with Trump’s preference for tariffs as theatre.
However, Modi has turned the episode to his advantage. By invoking the livelihoods of farmers and artisans, he has reframed the dispute as a patriotic duty of resistance. Linking the struggle to Gandhi’s legacy of self-reliance, he has cast Trump’s tariffs not as an economic squeeze but as an affront to India’s sovereignty.
The strategic miscalculation in all this has been Washington’s. For years, American policymakers have pressed India to act as a democratic counterweight to China. That vision requires partnership and trust, not coercion. Treating India as a subordinate to be disciplined only risks pushing it further towards alternative trade and energy blocs, from Moscow to Beijing. Trust, once lost, is not easily regained.
India’s firmness throughout this affair has been pragmatic. New Delhi remains open to trade with America, but only on reciprocal and respectful terms. It will not be compelled into decisions that jeopardise energy security or impoverish its most vulnerable citizens. The tariffs may cause pain in the short term, but the longer-term cost will be borne by America’s credibility as a reliable partner.
Trump’s economic nationalism, dressed up as grand strategy, has always been bluster. Tariffs do not end wars. They disrupt supply chains, stoke inflation and alienate allies. Modi’s stand demonstrates steadiness and resolve. The unmistakable message is that India will not be strong-armed, whether the pressure comes from Moscow, Beijing or the White House.
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