Jaishankar slams US tariffs, says India will protect farmers' interests

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised US tariffs on Indian goods, saying India will protect the interests of farmers and small producers while maintaining its national priorities

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday strongly criticised the United States for imposing what he called “unjustified and unreasonable” tariffs, totalling 50 per cent, on Indian goods exports to that country.    

 

Speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, Jaishankar said that protecting farmers and small producers remained India’s top priority. He emphasised that the government would not compromise on their interests. 

"What we are concerned about is that red lines are primarily the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. So when people pronounce that we have succeeded or failed, we as a government are committed to defending the interests of our farmers and small producers. We are determined on that. That's not something we can compromise," he said.

 

 

The Trump administration last month imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods - besides a 25 reciprocal tariff announced earlier - as a penalty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. Together, the tariffs on India amount to 50 per cent, the highest against any nation except Brazil, which faces a similar tariff rate.   

 

 

Tariff dispute misrepresented as an 'oil issue'

 

Jaishankar argued that the issue of tariffs was being wrongly presented as an oil dispute. He pointed out that the same criticism over Russian energy purchases had not been applied to larger importers like China, which is the largest buyer of Russian oil, and European countries that import significant amounts of Russian gas.

 

"The second issue is that this is being presented as an oil issue. But why I say 'being presented' is because the same arguments that have been used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, which is China, and have not been applied to the largest LNG importer, which is the European nations," he said.

 

He highlighted the contradiction in the West’s approach, noting that Europe trades far more with Russia than India does.

 

"And when people say we are funding the war and putting the money, Russia-European trade is bigger than India-Russia trade. So European money is not putting coffers (sic)? The overall Russia-EU trade is bigger than the Russia-India trade. If the argument is energy, they (EU) are bigger buyers. If the argument is who is the bigger trader, they are bigger than us. India's exports to Russia have grown, but not that much," Jaishankar added.     

 

India asserts right to strategic autonomy

 

The minister stressed that India has the right to make decisions in its national interest. "The issue of decisions which we make in our national interest is our right. And I would say that's what strategic autonomy is about," he said.

 

On India-US relations, Jaishankar said discussions were ongoing despite tensions. "We are two big countries, as I say, the lines are not cut, people are talking to each other, and we will see where it goes," he added.

 

When asked about Washington’s new ambassador to India, he refrained from commenting: "Look, I am the foreign minister, I don't comment on ambassadorial appointments of other countries."   

  Jaishankar’s recent visit to Russia

 

Earlier this week, Jaishankar visited Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also co-chaired the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

 

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), discussions during the visit covered terrorism, the conflict in Ukraine, and regional developments in West Asia and Afghanistan. Jaishankar also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to President Putin and discussed key bilateral and global issues.

 

(With agency inputs)