Donald Trump has claimed that India offered to cut tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, but said that this offer is too late. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the trade relationship between the U.S. and India as a "totally one-sided disaster". He stated that the U.S. does very little business with India because India has historically charged high tariffs, preventing American businesses from selling into the Indian market.

Trump's statement follows the imposition of duties on Indian goods, which are now as high as 50%. He has previously referred to India as the "tariff king" due to the long-standing trade deficit between the two countries. Trump's recent remarks also highlighted India's continued purchase of oil and military equipment from Russia as a point of concern. He noted that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and very little from the U.S. This was a factor he originally cited when imposing a 25% penalty as part of the 50% tariffs on most Indian products.

These comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

In 2024, India's exports to the U.S. totaled $87.3 billion, while imports from the U.S. were $41.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $45.8 billion in India's favor. During the first six months of 2025, Indian exports to the U.S. reached $56.3 billion, while imports amounted to $22.1 billion.

The Indian government has not yet officially responded to Trump's claims.