Why is Trump unhappy with India? Former diplomat reveals three reasons, and it's not related to tariffs or Russia

Time of India

6 hours ago

Three reasons behind tariff move
Operation Sindoor and the ceasefire claim
Trade pressure and the Russia angle
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US President Donald Trump 's decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods stems from three factors, according to former diplomat Vikas Swarup. In an interview with ANI, Swarup said Trump is dissatisfied with India over its BRICS membership, lack of acknowledgment of his claimed role in the Operation Sindoor ceasefire with Pakistan, and India's refusal to yield to US trade demands.Swarup, who has served as India's High Commissioner to Canada, said the US is using pressure tactics in trade negotiations to seek greater access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors. 'We have to understand why these tariffs have been imposed. I personally feel that there are three reasons. One, Trump is not happy with India because we are a member of BRICS and somehow, in his head, he has got this notion that BRICS is an anti-America alliance which is hell-bent on creating an alternative currency to the dollar. So, because of that, he feels that India should not be a member of the BRICS. Two, Operation Sindoor and his so-called role in bringing about the ceasefire,' he said.Referring to the military action in May in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Swarup said India had carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, repelled Pakistani aggression, and targeted airbases.'We have been saying right from the beginning that Trump had no role because we do not accept external mediation. This ceasefire was mediated directly between the DGMOs of Pakistan and India at the request of the DGMO of Pakistan. Trump has now said almost 30 times that it was he who got the two countries to stop back from the brink, who stopped a nuclear conflagration in the subcontinent. So, obviously he is miffed that India has not acknowledged his role, whereas Pakistan has not only acknowledged his role but has even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize,' Swarup said.On the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) talks, Swarup said the tariffs are also part of Washington's strategy to push India to accept US demands. '…This is part of his pressure tactics to get India to sign on the dotted line on the maximalist demands that the US is making with regard to access to our dairy and agriculture and GM Crops. We have not caved in and it is also in a way a signal to Russia because he is also frustrated that he has not been able to get President Putin to agree to the ceasefire that Zelenskyy has agreed to,' he said.Swarup noted that Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on August 15 over the Ukraine conflict. 'Now they are meeting in Alaska on 15th August. If there is a positive outcome of the Alaska talks then I am 100% sure that the Russia sanctions will be off the table because Putin is not going to accept a ceasefire and yet be saddled with economic sanctions,' he said.India and the US began BTA talks in March 2025 with a target to conclude the first phase by late 2025. On April 2, Trump signed an executive order for reciprocal tariffs, initially imposing 10-50% rates on several trade partners. The tariffs were held in abeyance for 90 days with a 10% baseline, but in July he raised them by 25% and in early August added another 25%, citing India's purchase of Russian oil. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament during the Monsoon session that the government is assessing the tariff impact and will take all necessary measures to safeguard national interests.