Trump announces 25% tariff on India and unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil (apnews.com)

submitted 4 days ago by ZeroHora@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 26 points 4 days ago

trump is alienating the two largest economies of the future world and it'll spell doom for this empire.

[-] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 11 points 4 days ago

It’s already doomed. This will just accelerate it.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago

Not if India caves

[-] npdean@lemmy.today 6 points 3 days ago

2.5% of India’s GDP is dependent on exports to USA. 40% of oil import and a major chunk of defence import is dependent on Russia.

The numbers do not favor Mr. Trump.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 days ago

i hope so, the violence and oppression that we americans allow our government to commit on our behalfs thanks to our collective ignorance has to stop.

[-] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

That's because you're assuming trump is working for USA’s interests.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

i hope so, the violence and oppression that we americans allow our government to commit on our behalfs thanks to our collective ignorance has to stop.

[-] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

~~India is likely to fold and punish Russia to get back on the USA's good side. The Modi contingent are happy with being a junior partner to the empire.~~

Edit: I was very ignorant about India. I still am, But I used to be, too.

[-] npdean@lemmy.today 4 points 3 days ago

Russia is India’s only real ally since Independence. India isn’t going to cave in to US which has repeatedly shown that it is not trustworthy.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 days ago

I agree, but India is a founding member of brics along w Russia and this is going to be the test that determines whether or not brics will surpass the g8.

If India caves, the American empire will live on

[-] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 4 days ago

Yes. This is hot on the heels of the US punishing Brazil and attempting to split them off of BRICS. Come to think of it, the recent bullshit of giving Boers asylum may also be aimed at disrupting BRICS.

India is not likely in an economic position to tell the US to go pound sand, nor do I think they are likely to fully cave. They will attempt to thread the needle, but doing so will require some harm to Russian interests.

[-] npdean@lemmy.today 4 points 3 days ago

Indian economy is not dependent on exports to USA. Losing the whole trade would hurt but not as much as ruining the time tested friendship with Russia.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

is it just me or these attempts are sounding a bit desperate now?

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Is this based on any semblance of reality or just racism?

‘Punish’ Russia wtf are you talking about

[-] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

As in do something performative that attacks some aspect of Russian revenue in order to get the US to reduce tariffs.

~~The reality I am referencing is the Modi government's clear preference for neoliberalism, constant kowtowing to the USA, and clear recalcitrance towards anything meaningfully anti-imperial.~~

Edit: I was very ignorant about India. I still am, But I used to be, too.

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

As in do something performative that attacks some aspect of Russian revenue in order to get the US to reduce tariffs.

Russia is India’s most important trading partner, and this has remained true for nearly a century. They simply cannot afford to ‘hurt’ Russian revenue even if they wanted to.

Honestly, this

constant kowtowing to the USA, and clear recalcitrance towards anything meaningfully anti-imperial.

is a western fever dream that isn’t backed by anything

[-] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 3 days ago

You know what? I'm sure you already know this - you're right.

Here's what I found to support my position:

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/india-may-let-us-foreign-firms-bid-for-big-government-contracts-sources-say/ar-AA1Fkxc4 (2025)

https://www.cfr.org/article/divergence-despite-convergence-united-states-india-strategic-partnership-and-defense-norms (2025)

https://jacobin.com/2024/05/india-neoliberalism-modi-hindu-authoritarianism (2024)

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-israel-seek-to-further-strengthen-defence-ties/articleshow/122869823.cms (2025)

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/1/15/indias-modi-gives-warm-welcome-to-israels-netanyahu (2018)

But after a lot of reading, it looks a lot like India is charting it's own development course that stays very clearly away from being a junior partner to the US. There are major economic ties, with the US buying 20% of India's total exports, but everywhere I looked I saw US journalists and US politicians vastly overstating how much India was working with them, and I saw so much evidence of India playing politics while maintaining its sovereignty, maintaining its autonomy, and using the US and Europe to develop its indigenous productive forces.

So, Modi may be a hindu nationalist and stoking division with Muslims, but you're right about foreign policy and trade and you forced me to reevaluate my propaganda-based perspective on India. Thanks for that.

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 2 points 3 days ago

Are you being sarcastic? I commend you if you’re not but if you are I can discuss this with you in more detail.

[-] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 3 days ago

I am not being sarcastic. Your push back created the opportunity for me to go gather my sources to prove my points and instead I learned that I was wrong.

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I truly appreciate you being so self-reflective.

India’s resources and industrial commodities are disproportionately tied to Russia in comparison to any other country. For example, it imports as much oil from Russia as it does from OPEC and US combined. To emphasize this point, India is the second largest importer of petrol (probably the highest importer of energy products by far); energy scarcity is a huge problem for them. Indian steel as another example has been hurt by Trump’s tariffs, but turning on Russia would mean literally killing their steel industry altogether just to have the chance to regain the 25% or whatever it lost from trade with the US.

Yes, India exports the most to the US but there is no shortage of markets wanting to import low cost goods and customer support. Harming Russia would not be in their interest at all. There also the question of historical ties with Russia that are much stronger than any relationship with the US.

India’s place in global geopolitics is complex and unfortunately, Modi, a fascist demon, has not particularly veered the country towards western alliances and if anything has done more to deepen ties with China and Russia than previous PMs in the past 30 years.

[-] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

India is in it for India. If it is better for India to trade with the US than Russia, they will.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 days ago

here we go again

[-] senseamidmadness@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 4 days ago

Trade policy informed by vibes only.

[-] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It still won't get us to stop talking about the Trumpstein files.

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 days ago

No matter how many things Trump does that are hostile to Russia they will continue to call him a Russian asset. It's fascinating.

[-] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 12 points 4 days ago

Because Trump didn't put tariffs directly to Russia, doesn't matter that it doesn't make any sense to tariff someone that you sanctioned instead you pressure the countries that trade with it.