Former US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that India has offered to cut tariffs to zero, but said, “It’s getting late.” He criticized the long-standing trade imbalance between the two nations, stating that India purchases most of its oil and military equipment from Russia and very little from the US.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, wrote, “What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. India sells to the US, its biggest client, massive amounts of goods, but we sell them very little – until now, a totally one-sided relationship for many decades.”

He blamed India’s historically high tariffs, calling it “the most of any country,” for restricting American businesses from entering the Indian market. “It has been a totally one-sided disaster,” Trump remarked, adding that India now proposes zero tariffs, but the move should have happened years ago.

The former President also noted, “India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They should have acted earlier. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!”

Trump’s comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

The Trump administration had previously imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and an additional 25% levy on Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, making India one of the highest tariffed countries globally at 50%.

India has called these tariffs “unjustified and unreasonable,” asserting its right to protect national interests and economic security. Prime Minister Modi reiterated that India will not compromise on farmers, small-scale industries, and cattle-rearers, despite growing international pressure.