NEW DELHI – India’s Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that the government is “examining the implications” of US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of 25% tariffs on Indian goods. He promised to take “all necessary steps to protect national interests.”
In the Lower House, Goyal talked about how the US tariffs have changed over time. He informed everyone that on April 2, 2025, the President of the United States signed an executive order about “reciprocal tariffs.” This order set a 10% baseline charge that would start on April 5, 2025. This baseline, along with extra tariffs for each country, first led to a total 26% tariff for India. Full country-specific extra tariffs were supposed to start on April 9, 2025, but their start date was pushed back first by 90 days and then again until August 1, 2025.
The Minister’s comment is a direct response to US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, that India, which is a “friend,” will suffer a 25% trade tariff and other undefined “penalties” for continuing to buy Russian oil and military equipment.
VIDEO | Parliament Monsoon Session: On Trump’s announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on India, Union Minister Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) says, “The government will take all necessary steps to protect the nation’s interests.”
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 31, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/qYDiANo0at
Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “Remember, while India is our friend, we haven’t done much business with them over the years because their tariffs are among the highest in the world and they have the most annoying and difficult non-monetary trade barriers of any country.”
He went on to explain why the fines were coming, saying that India has “always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.” Trump made it clear again that the August 1 deadline “stands strong and will not be extended.”
India’s measured response and talks that are still going on
After Trump announced tariffs on Wednesday, the Indian Commerce Ministry said in a statement that the government had “taken note of a statement by the US President on bilateral trade” and was “studying its implications.”
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) also put out a statement saying that India is still willing to talk about trade with the US. “India and the US have been talking on how to reach a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement between the two countries over the past few months. The statement said, “We are still committed to that goal.”
Goyal said that the administration is fully committed to protecting the interests of people in the country. “The Government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs,” the statement said.
Goyal told the Lok Sabha, “The Government will do everything it can to protect our national interest, just like it has done with other trade agreements, like the most recent Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK.” He also said that India is now the fastest-growing economy in the world and is firmly advancing toward its objective of “Viksit Bharat 2047” (Developed India by 2047). The Minister also said that India had successfully signed trade deals with the UAE, UK, Australia, and EFTA countries that were good for both sides. This shows that India is taking an active role in global commerce even though protectionist attitudes are on the rise.
We don’t know yet how India will deal with these duties or lessen their effects, but the government’s quick response shows that it is serious about safeguarding its economic interests and keeping diplomatic ties with the United States. Reports say that a US trade group will visit New Delhi on August 25 for the sixth round of talks on the bilateral trade deal. This suggests that talks would continue even though there are currently problems.