US President Donald Trump’s tirade against India over trade and Russian oil purchases threatens to undo two decades of diplomatic progress, analysts and officials say, and could derail other areas of cooperation as domestic political pressures drive both sides to harden their stances.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urged by India’s opposition parties and the public to resist what they describe as bullying by Trump, who on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing a 25% additional duty on Indian imports on top of the 25% tariff already in place because of the country’s large purchases of Russian oil.
With its significant US trade surplus and close ties to Russia, India has become a crucial ally of Washington in its strategic battle with China in recent years.
