A day after announcing 25 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, US President Donald Trump sparked fresh outrage by saying he did not care about India’s relationship with Russia and that both countries “can take their dead economies down together.”

“I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their moribund economies down together, for that matter. We have done extremely little business with India; their tariffs are too high, some of the highest in the world. Similarly, Russia and the USA do virtually no business with each other. Let's leave it that way,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The US President also lashed out at former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for warning that US ultimatums could escalate into war. “And inform Medvedev, the failed former Russian President, who believes he's still President, to be careful what he says. He's getting into very dangerous territory,” Trump wrote.

Trump’s latest remarks came just a day after his administration imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports. He also signalled dissatisfaction with India’s continued purchase of Russian oil despite Western sanctions.

“Remember, just so you understand, India is a friend, but we have done very little business with them over the years because their tariffs are much too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most difficult and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country,” Trump said, claiming the United States had run a “massive” trade deficit with India.

Blaming India’s longstanding defence ties with Moscow, Trump said India, “has always purchased a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia” and is “Russia's biggest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to end the killing in Ukraine.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, India’s decision to continue importing discounted Russian oil has come under scrutiny in the West. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has defended the move, saying the government’s priority is to secure the best deal for Indian citizens. He had earlier hit out at Western criticism, stating the world must move beyond the idea that “Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”

In response to the US tariff decision, the Indian government said it had “taken note” of the announcement and was assessing its impact. “India and the US have been negotiating the terms for a fair, balanced and mutually advantageous bilateral trade agreement for the past several months. We are still committed to that goal. The Government places the highest priority on safeguarding and advancing the interests of our farmers, businesspersons, and MSMEs,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

“The Government will do whatever is required to protect our national interest, as has happened under other trade agreements such as the recent Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK,” it added.

Trump’s comments targeting Medvedev came after the Russian leader, now Deputy Chairman of the country’s Security Council, posted a warning on X.

“Every new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump's) own country,” Medvedev wrote. His statement followed Trump’s claim that President Putin had failed to end the war in Ukraine and his own pledge to cut the timeline for a peace deal from 50 days to just 10 or 12.

On Thursday, Trump also announced a new partnership with Pakistan, revealing that the US would help develop Pakistan’s “massive oil reserves.” He hinted at the possibility of Pakistan selling oil to India in the future.

“We have just made a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, in which Pakistan and the United States will cooperate on the development of their enormous Oil Reserves. We are in the process of selecting the Oil Company which will head up this Partnership. Who knows, maybe they'll be selling Oil to India someday!” he posted on Truth Social.

According to the US Central Intelligence Agency, Pakistan holds around 332 million barrels of proven oil reserves, placing it 52nd globally—below Turkey and above Trinidad and Tobago. India ranks 23rd with about 4.5 billion barrels.

Until now, the US has had a limited economic footprint in Pakistan. Data from the State Bank of Pakistan shows that US foreign direct investment was only 29 million dollars in the first quarter of FY 2025. In contrast, China invested around 404 million dollars during the same period.

Also on Wednesday, the US and Pakistan finalised a new trade agreement. Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington as part of the deal.

Pakistan had been facing a 29 per cent tariff on exports to the US starting August 1 if no agreement was reached. The new tariff terms were yet to be disclosed.

Some US officials described Trump’s aggressive tariff moves as part of his typical negotiating strategy. However, if the measures remain in place, they could significantly hurt India’s trade edge over other Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia.