With the United States, China, and Russia creating a hostile world, Brussels and Canada have no choice but to deepen ties with India.
By: JIANLI YANG – Feb 11, 2026
The United States and India have reached a long-anticipated trade deal, bringing a measure of relief to a relationship strained by tariffs, energy disputes, and strategic mistrust. Under the framework announced by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Washington will lower its “reciprocal” tariff on Indian goods from 25 percent to 18 percent. At the same time, India has committed to reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers on a wide range of American exports. The agreement arrests a clear downward spiral and signals that both sides still see strategic value in economic cooperation.
Trump, however, cast the deal in geopolitical terms that went well beyond trade. He claimed India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and would instead purchase energy from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela. Modi conspicuously avoided confirming any such pledge, and Indian ministries, refiners, and private firms neither endorsed nor denied Trump’s assertion.
The silence was deliberate. New Delhi had little incentive to publicly contradict Trump, but even less reason to bind itself to a dramatic energy realignment. Trump’s pressure on India over Russian oil has grown noticeably restrained—especially when contrasted with his far harsher treatment of Europe over the last few months, which sits awkwardly alongside his own recent, non-hostile posture toward Vladimir Putin.
The timing of the US-India deal is revealing. It followed closely on the heels of a sweeping India-European Union free trade agreement, concluded after nearly 25 years of stalled negotiations. That pact eliminates or sharply reduces tariffs on most goods and creates one of the world’s largest trading blocs. Its sudden breakthrough owed less to a burst of EU-India enthusiasm than to Trump’s external pressure: his tariff threats, confrontational stance toward allies, and willingness to weaponize trade issues against Europe… [Continue Reading]
Source: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/silk-road-rivalries/how-india-is-helping-europe-and-canada-de-risk-their-economies