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'Misplayed his hand': Former Australian PM Tony Abbott reacts to Trump's tariff on India, calls it ‘temporary setback’
The US has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty specifically for Russian energy purchases.
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that US President Donald Trump “misplayed his hand” with India by imposing tariffs.
"I am a supporter of President Trump, but I think he misplayed his hand with India recently when he imposed those punitive tariffs, particularly given there are other countries that are cheating here, especially China, that didn't get the same kind of treatment," the former Australian PM said while addressing an event in Delhi.
He also said that he thinks that the move would be a “temporary setback” for New Delhi and hoped that it could be “remedied very quickly” by Washington.
"I think this (tariffs) is a serious setback. But given the fundamental community of interest and values that India does have with the democracies, I think it will only be a temporary setback, but let's hope that this can be remedied very quickly," he said.
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He also took shots at the United States for its relationship with Pakistan and emphasised that America's core interests are better served by maintaining a strong friendship with India rather than Pakistan.
The former PM also pointed out that one of the big mistakes that America made during the Cold War was “consistently tilting towards Pakistan, a military dictatorship, as opposed to India, a liberal democracy.”
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The US has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty specifically for Russian energy purchases. Washington argues that such transactions fund Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
India has maintained that its energy purchases are driven by market forces and national security requirements rather than geopolitical alignment, consistently defending its right to secure affordable energy for its population.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him India will stop purchasing Russian oil, but India denied any conversation occurred.
