America has sent a new ‘order’ to India. Donald Trump’s administration is constantly trying to corner India and now it has called upon India to stop buying weapons from Russia. Apart from the issue of tariff, America has termed India’s role in BRICS as a potential hindrance to New Delhi-Washington relations. That is, Donald Trump’s administration, which was believed to increase cooperation with India, is constantly trying to trouble Delhi. It is believed that this can cause tension in relations between India and America.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said at the India Today Conclave on Friday that “India has historically bought a large part of its military power from Russia.” He added that “We think this is something that needs to end. India is the ‘I’ in BRICS, trying to create a currency to replace the dollar as the global economic currency. These kinds of things do not create the love and affection that we really feel deeply for India. We want these things to end.”
Donald Trump administration has already offered F-35 fighter aircraft to India. Whereas Russia is repeatedly bringing new proposals to India regarding its fifth generation fighter jet SU-57. Therefore, America fears that India may go with the Russian fighter jet. The last time India made a deal of millions of dollars with Russia for the S-400 air defense system, at that time also Donald Trump’s administration was in power and India ignored the threats of the Trump administration. In such a situation, Trump knows that if India decides, it will not make any agreement regarding Russian weapons. Apart from this, Lutnik again raised the issue of tariff imposed in India on American products and called for fair trade between the two countries. Donald Trump’s administration wants to reduce America’s trade deficit with India. For this, it is increasing pressure on India to purchase American weapons.
Trump has constantly criticized the member countries of BRICS for considering an alternative to the US dollar as an international exchange medium. Trump had also raised this issue during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Modi in January this year. Apart from this, when Prime Minister Modi visited America last month, Trump tried to pressurize India to buy F-35 fighter aircraft. He even announced that Washington is ready to consider the possible sale of F35 fighter aircraft to New Delhi. Apart from this, India also announced the purchase of 6 additional P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft as well as several joint programs during Modi’s visit to America, in which joint production of underwater surveillance equipment is now one of the major projects under consideration.
Why is Trump angry at BRICS’ currency theory? America fears that if a new currency is agreed upon between the BRICS countries, the dollar may be out of a large part of the world’s trade. This will not only be a threat to America’s dominance, but America will also stop getting the benefit it gets on dollar-based trade. At the same time, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday regarding the US dollar that there is no such plan within BRICS at present. Let us tell you that apart from India, BRICS includes Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran and Indonesia. All these are developing countries and represent a large part of the world’s trade.
Donald Trump has shown a lot of strictness regarding the trade deficit with India. In the year 2023-2024, India exported goods worth about $ 77 billion to the US while it bought goods worth only $ 42.1 billion. In such a situation, trade deficit is one of the biggest issues for Donald Trump. Donald Trump has announced tariffs against countries like Canada, China and Mexico. At the same time, America’s reciprocal tariff will also start against India from April 2 this year. However, the benefit to the people of India will be that American goods will become cheaper in India, but it will affect the revenue received by the Indian government.
