Trump Keeps Door Open For Negotiations On India Tariffs: ‘We Will See…’

Last Updated:July 31, 2025, 00:53 IST

The Indian government said it is studying the implications of Trump's announcement to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, along with a penalty from August 1

US President Donald Trump (AP/File)

After announcing 25% tariffs on Indian goods, US President Donald Trump appeared to have softened his stand and kept the doors open for negotiations with India over the trade agreement.

Trump referred to the BRICS grouping and the “tremendous" trade deficit with New Delhi for announcing the 25 per cent tariff.

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi his friend, Trump said India doesn’t do much business in terms of business with the US. He also pointed out that India is a part of the BRICS, which he referred to as “a group of countries that are anti the United States."

When asked if he is open to negotiating with India on the tariffs, Trump said, “We are talking to them now. We will see what happens. India was the highest or just about the highest-tariff nation in the world…We will see. We are negotiating with India right now. They sell a lot to us, but we don’t buy from them…Because the tariff is so high. They have one of the highest tariffs in the world. Now, they are willing to cut it very substantially. But we will see what happens. We are talking to India now. We will see what happens. It doesn’t matter too much whether we have a deal or we charge them a certain tariff. But you will know at the end of this week…"

“Well, we’re negotiating right now, and it’s also BRICS. You know, they have BRICS, which is basically a group of countries that are anti-US, and India is a member of that… It’s an attack on the dollar, and we’re not going to let anybody attack the dollar," Trump said in the White House.

Trump has said in the past that the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa wanted to try and take over the “dominance of the dollar", and he threatened to impose 10 per cent tariffs on the group’s member nations if they did so.

Trump Announces 25% Tariff On Indian Goods

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment.

The surprise announcement came a day after Indian officials said that a US trade team would visit from August 25 to negotiate a trade deal.

“India is our friend, but we have… done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high… and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non‑monetary trade barriers of any country," Donald Trump wrote.

He further criticised India’s defense and energy relationship with Russia, saying, “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!"

Studying Implications of Trump’s Tariff: India

The government on Wednesday said it is studying the implications of US President Donald Trump’s announcement to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, along with a penalty from August 1.

“The Government has taken note of a statement by the US President on bilateral trade. The Government is studying its implications," an official statement said.

India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months.

“We remain committed to that objective," the statement said.

“The government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs. The Government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest, as has been the case with other trade agreements, including the latest Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK," it added.

(with inputs from agencies)

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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