By Amrashree Mishra

New Delhi [India], August 8 (ANI): After the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, citing national security and foreign policy concerns, particularly India's ongoing imports of Russian oil, former Indian diplomat Rakesh Sood said that US President Donald Trump loves tariffs and the Nobel Peace Prize, hinting that India's lack of recognition on the latter might be a reason for the former.

Speaking with ANI, Sood said, 'There are two things that President Trump loves - One is tariffs, and the second is the Nobel Peace Prize, so he will do anything to get to the bottom of these two. He has repeatedly said how he stopped the war between India and Pakistan and prevented a nuclear war. We've not given him comfort on the Nobel, so I guess we are facing the tariffs. We'll see how we deal with it.'

Trump's love for tariffs is evident in his protectionist trade policies. He believes tariffs are an effective tool to negotiate better trade deals and protect American industries. During his presidency, Trump imposed significant tariffs on various countries, including India, citing national security and foreign policy concerns.

Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times. In 2024, he was nominated by Republican leader Buddy Carter for his efforts in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Pakistan also nominated him for his alleged role in establishing peace between India and Pakistan during a cross-border crisis.

Trump has publicly expressed his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, often comparing himself to past winners like Barack Obama.

He has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering peace deals, such as the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and some Arab countries. Trump has also claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, although this claim has been disputed by India. Despite his efforts, Trump has not received the Nobel Peace Prize, which has only fueled his desire for it.

On Friday, the White House yet again claimed securing 'a ceasefire between India and Pakistan' among the list of US President Donald Trump's 'Foreign Policy Victory.'

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1953579654784462949

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had informed the Parliament that no leader in the world told India to stop Operation Sindoor, carried out to retaliate against the Pahalgam terror attack.

Meanwhile, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran reiterated the government's stance, emphasising the need for continued negotiations on the trade deal.

Speaking to ANI, he said, 'We hope that as we go forward, the negotiations on the trade deal may still be continued. We hope that over time, we can overcome this kind of hitch in the relationship. We have been through many ups and downs in India-U.S. relations, so perhaps we should keep it in perspective that we should not panic.'

He advised against panicking and overreacting, noting that India has navigated similar situations in the past.

'We should not overreact to this situation and keep our head down and hope that we are able to overcome this obstacle as we have been able to do in the past. But there is no way we can deny that this is a severe development and could have very major consequences for the Indian economy, and the government and the people of India have to be ready for those kinds of consequences,' said Saran.

Sharing his thoughts on the reaction of the Global South to the slew of tariffs from the United States, he said, 'There is no doubt that in facing this kind of new situation, the cooperation among some of the major developing countries, emerging economies like Brazil and India would be very important.'

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest.

'We are committed to deepening our Strategic Partnership, including in trade, energy, tech, defence, health and more. A strong, people-centric partnership between Global South nations benefits everyone', PM Modi said in a post on X.

The Brazilian President in a post on X shared that India and Brazil, 'reaffirmed the importance of defending multilateralism, the need to address the challenges of the current situation, as well as to explore possibilities for greater integration between the two countries.'

https://x.com/LulaOficial/status/1953493558729548265

Earlier, China voiced its opposition to the US announcement of tariffs against India. The Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, in his press briefing while responding to media queries called the act an 'abuse of tariffs'.

The White House on Wednesday issued an Executive Order imposing an additional 25 percentage points in tariffs on Indian goods, raising the total levy to 50%. The administration cited national security and foreign policy concerns, pointing specifically to India's ongoing imports of Russian oil.

On Thursday (US local time), US President Donald Trump said there will be no trade negotiations with India until a dispute over tariffs is resolved, following his administration's decision to double tariffs on Indian imports.

The US statement department on Thursday stated that 'India is a strategic partner' and that the US is engaging with India in 'full and frank dialogue' even as relations between the two countries continue to witness tension amid the tariff dispute.

On being asked whether China and other BRICS nations are trying to take the lead in organising a pushback against US trade measures, the US State Department said the dialogue with India 'will continue'. (ANI)