India tariff news highlights: ‘No question of yielding to any threats,' says former V-P Venkaiah Naidu

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss cooperation among the BRICS countries amid Donald Trump's tariff war.

The two leaders reaffirmed their determination to further strengthen their countries’ strategic partnership and coordination within BRICS, according to the Kremlin. Putin initiated the call, which included a discussion of his talks with the US on Ukraine and Brazil-Russia cooperation, Lula’s office said in a statement.

Brazil has become a target of Donald Trump’s trade war after the US president imposed higher tariffs in an effort to end the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges that he attempted a coup.

A day after talking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss cooperation among the BRICS countries amid US President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on both New Delhi and Brasilia.

India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Saturday spoke to US Senator Lindsey Graham and shared New Delhi's perspective on its energy security, including increasing energy trade with the United States.

“Spoke to Senator @LindseyGrahamSC and shared with him the Indian perspective on our energy security including increasing energy trade with the United States,” Kwatra said in a post on social media.

Union minister Suresh Prabhu, while responding to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on India, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “never compromise with national interest”. “It is a reality that the tariffs that have been imposed (by the US on India) are a unilateral action. PM Narendra Modi is capable of taking whatever necessary steps are required,” Prabhu said, according to ANI.

India on Saturday “endorsed” and “supported” the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. “India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on 15th August 2025,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

“This meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, “This is not an era of war”," the MEA stated.

Former vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, in response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs on India, said that India would not yield to any threats. “We will safeguard energy security and we will stand firm on our strategic and national interest,” Naidu said, adding that threats would not work on India. On being asked whether trade talks with India would resume, Trump said that would not happen till the tariff issue gets resolved.

US President Donald Trump said that he would hold a meeting with Russia “very shortly”, days after he imposed additional tariffs on India for purchase of Russian oil. While imposing the additional duties, Trump claimed that India was “fuelling” the “Russian war machine”.

While announcing a peace deal with Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House, Trump said, “We’re going to have a meeting with Russia, start off with Russia, and we’ll announce a location.” “I think the location will be a very popular one, for a lot of reasons, but we’ll be announcing that a little bit later," he added, according to a Bloomberg report.

Former diplomat KP Fabian said that US President Donald Trump is “using tariffs for purposes other than trade.” Citing the example of Brazil, Fabian said that Trump had imposed tariffs on the country “because of the treatment being meted out to Jair Bolsonaro by the Brazilian judicial system...” “President Trump has made it clear that he will not continue trade talks with India until the tariff issue is resolved, although he may change his mind tomorrow,” the former diplomat said.

Some garment manufacturers from Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur, who export to the United States, have halted production amid US President Donald Trump's tariffs on India. Other producers are also evaluating their options in light of the duties. Tiruppur Exporters' Association President K M Subramanian told PTI that the producers were adopting a “wait and watch strategy” for the next two weeks.

“Total exports made (from Tiruppur region) is about ₹45,000 crore of which 30 per cent ( ₹12,000 crore) is to the US market. We expect 50 per cent business, which is about ₹6,000 crore to be impacted,” PTI quoted Subramanian as saying.

US President Donald Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on India could push it closer to Russia, National Security Advisor John Bolton warned. "Trump's tariffs against India are intended to hurt Russia but they could push India closer to Russia and to China to oppose these tariffs," Bolton said in an interview with CNBC.

He further said that Trump's “leniency” towards China and the “heavy handed tariffs on India” could jeopardise decades of American efforts to “bring India away from Russia”.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that the citizens of the country should support the government in the national interest of India. “The imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is a pressure tactic. We, the people of India, should support the government to protect the interests of the country,” Pawar said.

Speaking about US President Donad Trump, he said that “no one has control over him”. “We saw the work style of Trump in his first term as US president earlier….He speaks impulsively whatever comes to his heart,” Pawar added.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in Moscow, days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting comes amid US tariffs on India on account of its purchase of Russian oil.

The talks included “topical issues of #RussiaIndia military-technical cooperation, as well as the implementation of joint projects in other strategic sectors, including civil aircraft manufacturing, metallurgy, and the chemical industry”, the Russian Embassy in India said.