India calls additional US tariff ‘unfair, unjustified and unreasonable’, vows to protect national interests

India Wednesday responded to US President Donald Trump’s decision to ratchet up tariff on India to 50%, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declaring that New Delhi will take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

The statement came after Trump signed an executive order penalising India for continuing oil trade with Russia by slapping New Delhi with 25% additional tariff. The MEA criticised the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”

Full statement: 

“The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia.We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India. It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

Source: The Indian Express
--Agencies