'PM Modi should not bend': Ex-US official Kurt Campbell slams Trump's India tariffs
“America's most important relationship in the 21st century is with India. Much of that is now at risk,” the former US official said.
Former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell launched criticism on US President Donald Trump's decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on India. While announcing the tariffs, Trump has been citing India's purchase of Russian oil as the reason for doing so.
In an interview with CNBC International, Campbell said that America's relations with India were at risk owing to the tariffs. “America's most important relationship in the 21st century is with India. Much of that is now at risk,” the former US official said.
He further said that the Indian government was in a “difficult position” because of the manner in which Trump had spoken about the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
'PM Modi should not bend…'
Campbell also urged India to not give in to Trump's demands. “Prime Minister Modi should not bend the knee to President Trump,” he said.
Suggesting that the move to stop India from carrying on trade with Russia might backfire, Campbell said, “If you tell India that it has to sacrifice its relationship with Russia, then Indian strategists are going to do the exact opposite.”
This comes after US senator Gregory Meeks also highlighted that the India-US relationship was at risk due to the imposition of additional tariffs. “Trump's latest tariff tantrum risks years of careful work to build a stronger US-India partnership,” the Democrat said.
While terming the relations between the two countries as “strategic, economic, and people-to-people”, Meeks suggested that concerns should be raised in a “mutually respectful way”, in line with democratic values.
After Trump's decision to hike total duties on India to 50 per cent, the Ministry of External Affairs called the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. It further highlighted that India had been targeted for the same actions that several other countries were taking.
While the initial US tariffs of 25 per cent have already come into force, the rest will come into effect from August 27.
