The Trump administration has significantly expanded the use of tariffs beyond traditional trade policy, deploying them as tools of geopolitical influence targeting India and Brazil. This week, the administration imposed steep 50% tariffs on Indian imports, a punitive measure directly linked to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
As reported by The Washington Post, this move aims to pressure India into aligning more closely with U.S. and Western sanctions on Russia. The tariffs come at a time when India’s strategic relationships with both Russia and the West are delicate and evolving.
Simultaneously, the administration has imposed similar 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, in apparent retaliation for legal actions taken against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a prominent Trump ally. According to Reuters, while the tariffs have strained diplomatic relations, Brazil’s diversified trade partnerships have so far mitigated the economic impact.
Experts cited by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace warn that such aggressive tariff policies risk damaging decades of diplomatic progress between the U.S. and these important emerging markets. The tariffs on India, in particular, may push New Delhi closer to Russia and China, undermining U.S. influence in a critical region.
Furthermore, as analyzed by Reuters, this tariff escalation could unintentionally strengthen the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, potentially solidifying a trade and strategic counterweight to U.S. interests globally.
In response, officials in both India and Brazil have expressed deep disappointment and signaled intentions to seek retaliatory measures, raising fears of a prolonged trade conflict with wide-reaching global consequences.
