‘Rising India no longer viewed by Washington as a strategic partner’: Brahma Chellaney on US tariffs

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s remarks that India still has some distance to travel in terms of cutting down purchases of Russian oil is indicative that Washington has no intention of slashing the 50 per cent tariffs on New Delhi, says geostrategist Brahma Chellaney. It never was about purchasing Russian oil, he said, but more about power.

“Let’s be clear about what this is — and is not — about. If Russian energy imports were truly the issue, the U.S. would have moved first against China, the largest buyer of Russian energy, or the EU, the second-largest importer. It has done neither. Instead, Trump has granted Europe a comfortable transition period, allowing EU states to phase out Russian gas imports gradually by early 2028, by which time the Ukraine war may be over,” he said. 

Chellaney said the tariffs have “little to do with energy and everything to do with power”. 

Trump’s tariffs are a political signal, he said. 

“They are a political signal: a rising India is no longer viewed in Washington primarily as a strategic partner to be cultivated, but as an economic rival to be constrained. This harder line is visible well beyond trade. Across South Asia, U.S. policy now reflects a less benign view of India — one that no longer hesitates to work against India’s regional interests,” said Chellaney. 

Greer, in an interview with Fox Business, said that it is difficult for New Delhi to wean off the supplies because of the kind of discounts they are getting over Russian oil. He also acknowledged that New Delhi has made a lot of progress. 

“I am in frequent contact with my counterpart in India. I have a great working relationship with him, but they still have a ways to go on this point,” said Greer. Greer, however, agreed that India got a lucrative deal with the European Union free trade agreement (FTA).