Saralnama
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticized the United States for imposing what he called “unjustified and unreasonable” 50% tariffs on Indian exports, citing the tariffs as the highest imposed by the US on any country except Brazil. Speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar emphasized that protecting the interests of Indian farmers and small producers is a non-negotiable priority for the government. He noted that the tariffs were linked to India’s purchase of Russian crude oil but argued that similar scrutiny was not applied to China or European countries, which import larger volumes of Russian oil and gas. Jaishankar highlighted the contradiction in Western policies, pointing out that Russia-Europe trade exceeds Russia-India trade. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to strategic autonomy and stated that trade negotiations with the US continue despite tensions. Jaishankar declined to comment on the new US ambassador to India. Earlier in the week, he met Russian leaders in Moscow to discuss bilateral and global issues, including terrorism and the Ukraine conflict. (Updated 23 Aug 2025, 15:10 IST; source: link)