New Delhi [India], August 23 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday hit out at the United States for what he called "unjustified and unreasonable" tariffs on Indian goods, after the Trump administration raised duties to over 50 per cent as a penalty for India's purchase of Russian oil.
Speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar said India's priority was to protect farmers and small producers, stressing that New Delhi would not compromise on their interests.
"What we are concerned about is that red lines are primarily the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. So when people pronounce that we have succeeded or failed, we as a government are committed to defending the interests of our farmers and small producers. We are determined on that. That's not something we can compromise," Jaishankar said.
The minister also argued that the tariff issue was being wrongly presented as an "oil dispute." He noted that the same criticism levelled at India for purchasing Russian energy had not been applied to larger importers, such as China and European nations.
"The second issue is that this is being presented as an oil issue. But why I say 'being presented' is because the same arguments that have been used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, which is China, and have not been applied to the largest LNG importer, which is the European nations," he said.
Jaishankar pointed out the contradiction in the West's stance, saying Europe trades far more with Russia than India does. "And when people say we are funding the war and putting the money, Russia-European trade is bigger than India-Russia trade. So European money is not putting coffers? The overall Russia-EU trade is bigger than the Russia-India trade. If the argument is energy, they (EU) are bigger buyers. If the argument is who is the bigger trader, they are bigger than us. India's exports to Russia have grown, but not that much," he added.
The minister further said India has every right to take decisions in its own national interest. "The issue of decisions which we make in our national interest is our right. And I would say that's what strategic autonomy is about," he said.
On India-US ties, Jaishankar said talks were ongoing despite tensions. "We are two big countries, as I say, the lines are not cut, people are talking to each other, and we will see where it goes," he added.
When asked about Washington's new ambassador to India, Jaishankar avoided comment, saying, "Look, I am the Foreign Minister, I don't comment on ambassadorial appointments of other countries."
Earlier this week, Jaishankar visited Russia, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy First PM Denis Manturov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also co-chaired the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit included discussions on terrorism, the conflict in Ukraine, and regional developments in West Asia and Afghanistan. Jaishankar also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to President Putin and discussed key bilateral and global issues.
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