Former Australian PM Tony Abbott criticized the United States’ trade approach towards India, saying that punitive tariffs imposed on New Delhi were unfair, especially as other countries like China and Europe did not face similar measures. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Abbott said he supports President Trump but believes the move against India was a misstep.
“I am a supporter of President Trump, but I think he misplayed his hand with India recently when he imposed those punitive tariffs, particularly given there are other countries that are cheating here, especially China, that didn’t get the same kind of treatment,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
Abbott described the 50% tariff on Indian goods as a temporary setback and expressed hope that the issue could be resolved quickly.
“I think this (tariffs) is a serious setback. But given the fundamental community of interest and values that India does have with the democracies, I think it will only be a temporary setback, but let’s hope that this can be remedied very quickly,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
US President Donald Trump initially imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing unfair trade practices, and later added an additional 25% in response to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. This brought the total US tariffs on India to 50%, making it the highest rate the country has imposed on any nation.
India has strongly opposed the move, arguing that it is being unfairly singled out while European nations continue to import large volumes of Russian energy. New Delhi highlighted that in 2024, European countries conducted trade worth €67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services with Russia, despite the ongoing geopolitical situation. Indian officials contend that the US approach demonstrates a double standard, as European nations have not faced similar punitive measures despite their extensive trade with Moscow.
On Wednesday, President Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing Russian oil; however, India denied that any such conversation had taken place.