NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 25% tariff on goods imported from India, effective August 1, along with an unspecified penalty for India’s continued purchase of Russian arms and oil — measures likely to strain ties with the world’s most populous democracy.

The move targets India more sharply than other major trading partners and risks derailing months of trade negotiations between the two countries. It also threatens to complicate Washington’s relations with a key strategic ally in the Indo-Pacific and a vital counterweight to China.

“While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high — among the highest in the world — and they maintain the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He further criticized India’s longstanding defense and energy ties with Moscow: “They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China — at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine. All things not good!”

In response, the Indian government issued a statement saying it was assessing the implications of the US measures and reaffirmed its commitment to concluding a fair and balanced trade agreement with Washington.

“India and the U.S. have been engaged in negotiations on a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the past few months. We remain committed to that objective,” the statement read.

The White House has previously criticized India for maintaining high average tariffs — nearly 39% on agricultural imports — with duties reaching approximately 45% on vegetable oils and around 50% on apples and corn.