U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his criticism of India, calling trade ties with the country "a totally one sided disaster!" after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

Trump in a post on Truth Social also said that India had offered to cut its tariffs to zero, but it was "getting late," and that the country should have done so "years ago," without elaborating on when such an offer was made.

This comes against the backdrop of the U.S. imposing 50% tariffs on the country, including secondary duties of 25% last month for purchasing Russian oil, which India has called "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable."

Trump reiterated that India was buying oil and arms from Russia, and accused New Delhi of selling the U.S. "massive amounts of goods," but imposing high tariffs on U.S. exports to India.

"The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster!" he wrote.

Data from the World Trade Organization shows that India imposed a 6.2% average tariff on U.S. imports into the country in 2024, on a trade-weighted basis, while U.S. levied 2.4% on Indian goods. The trade-weighted average is the average rate of duty per imported value unit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO Summit 2025. (Photo by Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO Summit 2025.

The U.S.-India relations have soured over the past couple of months, upending more than two decades of improving ties, with several U.S. officials increasing their criticism of New Delhi over its Russian oil imports. India has called out the U.S. and European Union for their trade with Russia, while targeting New Delhi.

India's foreign ministry last month said "it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion [for them]."

Source: CNBC