‘A low-cost demonstration target’: Market expert says India valuable but not indispensable for US
Trump tariffs: "India, though a valued partner, remains in the US playbook a 'useful but not indispensable' ally," said Ajay Bagga.
- Aug 28, 2025,
- Updated Aug 28, 2025 8:50 AM IST
Trump’s tariffs on India is not about Russian oil but about geopolitics, said a market expert. Interestingly, it is the same assessment the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs used to blast Trump over his treatment of India.
Market expert Ajay Bagga, after the 50 per cent tariff came into effect, said, “Trump’s decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on India over Russian oil imports has raised eyebrows. These tariffs were never really about oil – they were about geopolitics. For Washington, India was a low-cost demonstration target: a warning to Russia that secondary sanctions are real, and a reassurance to China that the US is not forming an anti-China military bloc with India. India, though a valued partner, remains in the US playbook a “useful but not indispensable” ally. The lesson is clear: in geopolitics, interests dominate over trust – and India must keep building its independent leverage.”
In a separate post, Bagga said India should stop focussing on unfairness, and prepare for a future in a multipolar world. India must move away from the US-Russia-China power plays, and stand in itself as an independent pole. He added New Delhi must acquire strength and stature, and get a seat at the table.
Meanwhile, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, blasted Trump for singling out India while exempting the actual largest importer of Russian oil. It could damage the US-India relationship and undermine strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, the committee said.
Democratic members of the committee accused the administration of “hurting Americans and sabotaging the US-India relationship”, and concluded their message with a pointed line, “It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all.”
Separately, Trump’s adviser Peter Navarro labelled the Ukraine war as “Modi’s war” and said that the road to peace runs through New Delhi. He said whatever India is doing is hurting the US. “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this... India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, OK? Act like one,” he said.
Trump’s tariffs on India is not about Russian oil but about geopolitics, said a market expert. Interestingly, it is the same assessment the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs used to blast Trump over his treatment of India.
Market expert Ajay Bagga, after the 50 per cent tariff came into effect, said, “Trump’s decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on India over Russian oil imports has raised eyebrows. These tariffs were never really about oil – they were about geopolitics. For Washington, India was a low-cost demonstration target: a warning to Russia that secondary sanctions are real, and a reassurance to China that the US is not forming an anti-China military bloc with India. India, though a valued partner, remains in the US playbook a “useful but not indispensable” ally. The lesson is clear: in geopolitics, interests dominate over trust – and India must keep building its independent leverage.”
In a separate post, Bagga said India should stop focussing on unfairness, and prepare for a future in a multipolar world. India must move away from the US-Russia-China power plays, and stand in itself as an independent pole. He added New Delhi must acquire strength and stature, and get a seat at the table.
Meanwhile, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, blasted Trump for singling out India while exempting the actual largest importer of Russian oil. It could damage the US-India relationship and undermine strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, the committee said.
Democratic members of the committee accused the administration of “hurting Americans and sabotaging the US-India relationship”, and concluded their message with a pointed line, “It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all.”
Separately, Trump’s adviser Peter Navarro labelled the Ukraine war as “Modi’s war” and said that the road to peace runs through New Delhi. He said whatever India is doing is hurting the US. “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this... India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, OK? Act like one,” he said.