How Trump Is Testing India’s US-Russia Balancing Act

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long had to balance ties with Russia and the US as India sticks to its policy of strategic autonomy. That task has been more challenging amid pressure from the Trump administration to stop buying Russian oil, which saw US tariffs on Indian goods ratchet up to 50%.

After months of friction, President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 2 that he will slash the US’s 25% “reciprocal” duty on products from India to 18%. The 25% “secondary” tariff designed to penalize India for importing Russian crude will also be lifted.