Overview

• Trump announced plans to raise the existing 25% tariff on Indian goods, accusing New Delhi of buying Russian oil and profiting from its resale on global markets.
• White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reiterated claims that India and China are funding the Ukraine conflict through Russian oil purchases.
• Viral U.S. incidents—from a Miami hotel’s virtual Indian reception to trolling of Ohio Solicitor General Mathura Sreedharan’s bindi—have been used to stoke xenophobic narratives online.
• India’s NSA Ajit Doval and Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar will visit Moscow later this month for high-level energy and strategic talks.
• A U.S. trade delegation is set to arrive in India on August 25 to seek an interim tariff agreement, while official F-35 negotiations remain stalled as Boeing production disruptions persist.