On 2 September 2025, I was on India Today discussing Trump misguided tariffs on India, which have done great damage to US-Indian relations and will not get India to stop buying Russian oil. Indeed, the tariffs are pushing India closer to both Russia and China, which is clearly not in America’s strategic interest.
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Professor John Mearsheimer, an American international relations expert, calls the Trump administration’s India policy a “colossal blunder”.
He states that imposing steep tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil is a move that will backfire, alienate India, and push it closer to Russia and China.
This, he argues, is not in America’s strategic interest, especially given its view of China as a principal adversary. The discussion covers India’s participation in the SCO summit in Tianjin with leaders from Russia and China, and how the US is using tariffs as a coercive tool.
Mearsheimer suggests the Trump administration is attempting to use India to pressure Russia over the war in Ukraine, a strategy he believes will fail and only worsen US-India relations.
He concludes that even if President Trump tries to mend ties, India will likely remain cautious.
