Jaishankar calls for a 'global fair order' amid Trump's tariff pressure

Jaishankar's remarks come amid rising global tensions, with Trump imposing tariffs on India and criticising its oil trade with Russia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called for a fair and representative global order, saying it should not be dominated by a few. His remarks came while speaking at the Bimstec Traditional Music Festival titled SaptaSur: Seven Nations, One Melody, held in New Delhi.

 

“We live in complicated and uncertain times. Our collective desire is to see a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few. That quest is often articulated as political or economic rebalancing,” Jaishankar said. He added that traditions define identity and that “we must be assured about what we are if we want to be confident about shaping the future”.

 

 

India-US tensions escalate over tariffs and Russia trade

 

Jaishankar’s comments come against the backdrop of renewed pressure from the United States, with President Donald Trump imposing a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and announcing penalties for countries trading with Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

 

On August 1, Trump posted on Truth Social: “They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China… INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST (sic).”

 

The move follows earlier back-and-forth statements from Trump over India’s trade status. On April 2, he had imposed a 26 per cent tariff on Indian goods but later paused it for 90 days to allow room for bilateral negotiations. During this pause, he had claimed that a deal with India was “coming along great”. However, the reimposition of tariffs on August 1 has dampened New Delhi’s hopes of receiving preferential terms.

 

In another post, Trump doubled down: “I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world.”

 

India responds to US criticism of Russia oil imports

 

The Ministry of External Affairs issued a sharp rebuttal, calling Trump’s statements “unjustified and unreasonable”. The MEA defended India’s oil imports from Russia, saying they were driven by national necessity and were far smaller in scale compared to the West’s energy purchases.

 

“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict,” the MEA said in a statement issued Monday