Donald Trump lashes out again, says India and Russia 'can take their dead economies down together'

Amid growing difficulties in arriving at the India-U.S. bilateral trade agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump has again lashed out at India for its relations with Russia in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump criticised both India and Russia, branding them as “dead economies” and reiterating his discontent over India’s trade practices.

“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump said in his morning post.

He accused India of maintaining excessively high tariffs and lamented the limited trade volume between the two countries.

“We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory” Trump added.

These remarks come at a time when Trump announced a 25% additional tariff on a broad range of Indian imports, effective August 1. The move reflects a significant shift in US trade policy towards India and aligns with Trump’s broader nationalist agenda.

In response, India issued a formal statement reaffirming its commitment to continue negotiations toward a fair and balanced bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. At the same time, the Indian government pledged to take firm steps to protect the interests of domestic sectors, particularly farmers, entrepreneurs, and small and medium enterprises.

Meanwhile, the Russia remarks appear to be in response to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had earlier cautioned against Trump’s confrontational approach towards Moscow. He described Trump’s tactics as ultimatums that risked dragging the United States into war.

“Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: Russia isn't Israel or even Iran; Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road” Medvedev had said in a July 28 post on X.

As tensions rise, the future of India and the U.S. trade relations remains uncertain, complicated further by India's relations with Russia. Trump's comments underscore potential friction ahead, especially if trade negotiations falter or if Washington imposes further restrictions.