India’s Sovereignty vs Trump’s Tariff Bully

In the early 1950s, during a week-long visit to India, Soviet Union leader Mr. Khrushchev stood in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and stated that there was no issue regarding Kashmir, asserting it had fully integrated with the Indian Union. This illustrates the strong ties between India and the Soviet Union (now Russia) at the time. Russia has consistently supported India through challenging times, proving itself to be a natural ally. Before the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1990, its borders were adjacent to Afghanistan, which contributed to the robust cultural connections between India and the Soviet Union. To this day, there has been no significant obstacle in their relationship that could cause discord. Even when India entered into a nuclear agreement with the US in 2008, Russia remained unperturbed and maintained its strategic, tactical, and diplomatic ties with India.

India's Foreign Minister Mr. S. Jaishankar has returned today after a three-day visit to Russia. During this diplomatic visit, he gave this message to America while standing on Russian soil that America itself had asked it to buy crude oil from Russia to stabilize the prices of crude oil and gas in the international market. By saying this, Jaishankar has tried to clarify that India's trade relations with Russia are maintained keeping in mind global interests. Jaishankar felt the need to say this because US President Donald Trump has increased the customs duty on Indian imported goods by 25 percent for this reason. Mr. Trump says that the economic sanctions imposed against Russia in view of the Russia-Ukraine war have been imposed with the aim of reducing the horror of the war. In a way, he also took punitive action against India and argued that this would reduce Russia's aggression towards Ukraine. On one hand, America considers India as its strategic ally and on the other hand takes such punitive action. Therefore, Mr. Jaishankar's statement on America's visit to Russia is considered very important. It is clear that Mr. Trump's attitude is bullying and he wants to scare India by imposing 25 percent additional customs duty on Indian goods coming to his country, whereas China imports the most crude oil from Russia and the countries of West Europe import the most gas etc. In such a situation, India's policy is completely logical.

Trump desires that India conduct its foreign trade according to his preferences. However, he seems to overlook that India is a sovereign nation with an independent foreign policy since its independence. To exert pressure on India, Trump is enhancing his relations with Pakistan, frequently claiming that he was instrumental in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10. Although he announced the ceasefire hours before India, this does not confirm his mediation, as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly stated that he had no discussions with any global leader about the ceasefire. Trump should remember that India has never succumbed to American threats. During the wars with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, the United States sided with Pakistan against India, yet Indian forces fiercely resisted the Pakistani military, even reaching Lahore in 1965. At that time, Pakistan was under the military rule of General Ayub, who, fearing India's attacks, sought assistance from China by traveling to Beijing overnight. However, the Soviet Union stood firmly with India.

In a similar vein, during the 1971 Bangladesh conflict, India effectively divided Pakistan into two separate entities. At that time, the United States had deployed its seventh nuclear fleet to the Bay of Bengal. However, Russia issued a stern warning that any movement by the fleet would be met with a strong response from the Russian fleet. Over fifty years have passed since this conflict, and during this period, there has been a significant shift in global dynamics from strategic to economic pressures. President Trump of the United States is pursuing this path, believing that his economic power will compel countries worldwide to comply. This perspective might be considered self-centered, as the new generation in India is a global leader in the computer and software sectors, and with its expertise, it is poised to lead the world. No nation can strip India of this strength. However, this is just one side of the story. The other side is that India's Make in India initiative requires access to global markets, and the United States is India's largest export destination. Consequently, Trump is raising import duties, but this move is likely to backfire, as many politicians in his own country have indicated. Regarding Russia, it has consistently supported India in becoming self-reliant, assisting in areas ranging from nuclear energy to strategic military resources and industrial development. Therefore, the United States will need to adjust its approach in light of the India-Russia relationship.