Washington/New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that India has offered to remove tariffs on American goods "to nothing", even as he described the current trade situation as a “totally one-sided disaster.”

The remarks come days after the US imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty linked to Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Trump accused India of buying “most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US”, adding that the imbalance had existed for “many decades.”

India has dismissed the tariffs as “unfair and unjustified,” stressing that Russian oil remains crucial to meet the country’s vast energy needs. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal reiterated that India “will neither bow down nor appear weak” in global trade relations, but remains open to fair free-trade agreements.

Trump’s comments coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the SCO Summit in Tianjin, where he held talks with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Modi even shared a picture from his meeting with Putin, calling the exchange “insightful.”

The escalating tensions come at a sensitive time, with fears that the tariff war could hit Indian exports and growth, even as New Delhi deepens its engagement with Russia and China.