During his presidential campaign last year, Trump pledged to end the Russia-Ukraine war within a day of winning the election. However, this has not happened. Now, the United States is blaming India for the war’s continuation. The US has accused India of profiting from Russian oil purchases and imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods starting August 27th.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since February 2022. More than 400,000 people have died in the war. Around 250,000 people, including soldiers, have died in Russia. In Ukraine, the death toll exceeds 100,000. Why is Trump shifting the blame for his failures onto India?
1. Attempting to Influence the European Union
Europe stands firmly with Ukraine. The US wants European countries to also impose tariffs on India, but the European Union (EU) has remained silent on the matter. Now, Trump’s advisors are targeting India by mentioning Modi’s role in the war.
Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15th. The two leaders did not reach any conclusions. Two days later, on August 18th, he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European countries at the White House. These meetings were also inconclusive.
On August 29th, Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro said that tariffs on India were imposed to stop the financial aid going to Putin’s war machine. A day earlier, Navarro had called the Russia-Ukraine conflict ‘Modi’s war’. Navarro alleged that India was fueling the war by purchasing oil from Russia.
2. Accusing Biden of Starting the War
Trump has continuously accused Biden of starting the war. He claims that if he were president, the war would not have started. Trump has been making these accusations and talking about reaching a peace agreement. However, a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine does not seem likely soon. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday that an agreement this year is difficult.
Before the failure of the agreement, Trump’s team began to encircle India. Trump’s threats also had no effect on Russia and Ukraine. On August 22nd, Trump gave two weeks for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Trump said, ‘We will get information within two weeks, if this does not happen, we may have to adopt a different approach.’
This is not the first time Trump has set a two-week deadline to discuss the Ukraine issue; he has given a two-week timeline on such issues before. He said in May that if Putin does not take the peace agreement seriously, a different response would be given.
3. Attempt to Pressure Russia Through India
The United States is not able to put direct pressure on Russia. An attempt is being made to pressure Russia by bringing in India. They have not succeeded with the tariffs. However, this move by Trump also seems to be backfiring. India is contacting 40 countries to counter Trump’s tariffs so that the reach of Indian goods in the global market can increase.
American economist Richard Wolf said that by imposing tariffs on India, Trump is behaving like a ‘tough guy’, but in reality, he is shooting himself in the foot. By doing so, Trump is emphasizing making BRICS an economic alternative to the West.
Trump’s advisor Navarro alleged that before the Ukraine war, India imported less than 1% of Russian oil, which is now more than 30%, i.e., 1.5 million barrels per day. This increase is not due to domestic demand. Huge profits are being made from this. However, India says that it has stabilized oil prices in the global market by purchasing Russian oil.