US President Donald Trump said his threat to impose a 200% tariff on exports from India and Pakistan played a key role in halting the conflict between the two countries. According to Trump, trade pressure was used to push both nations toward de-escalation.
Speaking to reporters while traveling to the Middle East ahead of an Israel-Hamas prisoner swap, Trump said, “We stopped a lot of these wars using trade. India and Pakistan were at it really hard, seven planes were shot down, bad things were happening. I was talking to both of them about trade. I said we are not going to do a trade deal unless they stop the war.”
Trump added that he personally called the leaders of both countries and warned that a 200% tariff would be imposed on all exports to the US unless the fighting stopped. “I spoke to the leaders of both nations. I like them both. But I said that’s the way it is. The next day I got a call, they decided to de-escalate and not fight. I love stopping wars,” he said.
Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great man” and said their relationship is strong. The two leaders recently discussed trade talks, with Modi reporting “good progress.”
On another issue, Trump criticized India for buying Russian oil, claiming it supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. India, however, defended the imports as necessary for energy security. Trump said that if India stopped buying Russian oil, it would make matters easier, though he expected purchases to resume after the war. Despite ongoing oil imports from Russia, India has offered concessions to the US in other areas, such as removing tariffs on American steel and auto parts, provided reciprocal action from Washington.
US-India relations have been strained in recent months, following Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods in response to the Russian oil purchases. Tensions rose further when the administration introduced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, affecting many Indian tech professionals seeking work in the United States.
