Vikas Swarup, former diplomat, said one of the reasons behind Washington's punitive tariffs on New Delhi is that US President Trump is unhappy with India for ignoring his so-called role in brokering a peace deal with Pakistan following the military conflict in May.
Vikas Swarup described the United States' relationship with Pakistan as a short-term, tactical arrangement driven largely by financial interests and stressed that US-India ties remain strategic.
What are the three reasons behind Trump's tariffs on India?
Trump not happy about India being BRICS member
One of the reasons, he said Trump is not happy with India because New Delhi is a member of BRICS. Vikas Swarup said Trump has got this notion that BRICS is an anti-American alliance which is hell-bent on creating an alternative currency to the dollar. Moreover, trump feels that India should not be a member of the BRICS, Swarup said.
India did not acknowledge Trump’s ceasefire deal
Vikas Swarup said the second reason for this is New Delhi's refusal to give Trump credit for brokering a peace deal with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor in May.
He said the Central government maintained from the beginning of the Operation Sindpoor that the US played no role in the ceasefire negotiations, as India does not accept external mediation.
He added that the ceasefire deal was mediated directly between the armed forces of both nations at the request of Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations.
It is interesting to note that Trump has said almost 30 times that it was he who got the two countries to stop back from the brink. However, he is not happy that 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.
India did not succumb to US pressure in trade talks
The third reason Vikas Swarup noted that India did not succumb to US pressure in trade talks to provide more access to the country's agriculture and dairy sectors, and Washington is exerting pressure tactics to get India to agree to its maximalist demands.
Swarup added that this is Trump’s 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 dairy and agriculture, and genetically modified (GM) crops.
