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Trump Tariffs Impact: Susan Rice while addressing an event said the current US administration may have hurt decades of work to strengthen India-US ties.
At the SCO summit, PM Modi was seen alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, which is a shift US NSA linked to Donald Trump’s tariff policy. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Former US National Security Advisor Susan Rice said India is a “strong and proud” nation and that the current administration’s policy of tariffs may have led to “huge loss” in New Delhi-Washington ties as previous administrations worked hard to strengthen bilateral ties.
“We have had successive Democratic and Republican administrations, going back 30 years, that have worked assiduously to try to strengthen the US-India relationship, to create some distance between India and Russia, India and China,” Rice said, in a video shared by Hindustan Times where Rice is seen addressing the event.
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“And yet, within a matter of weeks—I was going to say months, but it’s really been weeks—we’ve thrown that away. By virtue of a tariff policy ostensibly aimed at India’s relationship with Russia over Ukraine, but in reality it seems to be more about personal pique,” she further added.
US President Donald Trump had invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law crafted for sanctions and financial controls in times of foreign emergencies, to impose reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries. India was slapped with 25 per cent tariffs, but the rate of tariffs was increased to 50 per cent for buying Russian crude.
“What was so striking about what happened at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was, among other things, India being pushed into, or moving into, literally, you know, a grasping of hands with Russia and China. Not long ago, they were at odds,” Rice said referring to the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Tianjin SCO.
Donald Trump and his administration’s remarks targeting India for the war in Ukraine also strained relations.
However, officials from both nations continue trade and tariff negotiations.
Rice also pointed out that when Trump claimed credit for India-Pakistan ceasefire following Operation Sindoor, India “didn’t rush to embrace” the narrative. India has always maintained that the ceasefire was reached following bilateral discussions involving Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of both nations.
“The fact is, when the President claimed credit for defusing the conflict between India and Pakistan, India didn’t rush to embrace that narrative, for reasons many of us understand. And, as a consequence, we have now seen India, as a proud and strong nation, saying, ‘We’re going to go in a different direction.’ That’s a huge loss,’” Rice said.
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 20, 2025, 08:16 IST
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