US Lawmaker Urges Trump to Ease India Tariffs Amid Trade Progress

Top Summary

• What happened: US Congressman Brad Sherman urged Donald Trump to reduce tariffs on India, calling it unfair treatment of an ally.
• Why it matters: Sherman's statement highlights ongoing tensions in US-India trade relations despite recent progress.
• What changes for people: Potential easing of tariffs could lead to lower costs for Indian goods and services in the US.
• Who is affected: Indian exporters, US consumers, and both the Indian and US economies could be impacted.

Sherman's Plea to Trump

Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman has called on Donald Trump to reverse his tariff policy towards India.

Sherman, representing California, believes Trump is unfairly targeting India. He voiced his concerns on social media platform X, accusing Trump of seeking excuses to impose tariffs.

"President Trump is grasping for excuses to slap outrageous tariffs on India," Sherman wrote.

India's Oil Imports

Sherman compared India's oil imports from Russia to those of other countries.

He noted that while Hungary imports 90% of its crude oil from Russia without tariffs, and China, Russia's biggest oil buyer, faces sanctions for other reasons, India gets only 21% of its crude oil from Russia but is being singled out.

"India gets just 21% of its crude from Russia, but our ally is being singled out. The President should reverse this policy immediately," Sherman stated.

Recent Trade Framework

Sherman's comments follow the announcement of an interim trade framework between India and the US.

The framework reduced reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and services from 25% to 18%.

This announcement coincided with Trump removing the additional 25% punitive tariffs imposed on New Delhi for Russian oil purchases.

Jaishankar's Stance on Strategic Autonomy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has consistently defended India's strategic autonomy.

He rejected claims of being pressured by the US regarding Russian oil imports at the Munich Security Conference.

Jaishankar asserted that India is "very much wedded to strategic autonomy".

Addressing "energy issues", Jaishankar also said that in today's "complex market", oil companies around the world "look at availability, look at costs, look at risks and take the best decisions that they feel is in their best interest."

Decrease in Russian Imports

Trade data from January 2026 reveals a significant decrease in merchandise imports from Russia.

There was a 40.48% decrease, with crude oil being the most affected. Imports fell to $2.86 billion from $4.81 billion in January 2025, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Crude oil typically constitutes about 80% of India's total imports from Russia, accounting for $2.3 billion or less in January 2026.

What to Watch Next

The official trade data by product lines and countries for January 2026 is still awaited and may provide further insights into the impact of the trade dynamics. It remains to be seen if Trump will heed Sherman's call and adjust his tariff policy towards India in the coming weeks.