Despite hopeful discussions between heads of state during the second half of 2025, the future of India-United States trade relations remain unresolved as geopolitical tensions continue to simmer.

President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters aboard Air Force One that he’s prepared to raise tariffs—again—as a means of punishing the country for its continued dealings with Russia.

Acknowledging Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurances last fall that the South Asian nation would draw down on the procurement of Russian oil, Trump said, “He wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi’s a very good man, he’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy.”

However, he threatened, “They do trade, and we could raise tariffs on them very quickly.” Indian imports currently face some of the highest punitive duties levied by the U.S., as the president raised tariffs to 50 percent in August.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was with the president this weekend, assured the press that the administration’s tariff strategy is working.

“I don’t think we could have secured the border without the threat of tariffs. I don’t think we’d have a European trade deal without the threat of tariffs. So if you want to end this conflict, then put pressure on Putin’s customers,” he said of the war in Ukraine, which Trump has been keen to end.

Graham said he met with India’s ambassador to the U.S. last month, who told him that the country is purchasing less oil from Russia in the hope that Trump will offer relief from the punishing duties—evidence, he said, that “This stuff works.”

Graham also alluded to the drafting of a tariff bill that would allow the president to impose crippling duties of up to 500 percent on countries that continue to fund Russia’s “war machine” through the purchase of commodities like oil and natural gas, petroleum products and uranium. The lawmaker said the bill, dubbed the Sanctioning Russia Act, currently has 85 co-sponsors.

Despite the punishing, high-double-digit tariffs on India, the country’s exports to the U.S. grew by 22 percent in November, to the tune of about $7 billion after falling precipitously in September. The country has also tightened its trade ties with China, increasing exports to the country by 90 percent year over year to $2.2 billion.

While the vast majority of India’s exports make their way to other markets via ocean freight, the country is poised to see some disruption to its air cargo sector, with reports suggesting that the heavily trafficked Mumbai airport will close some essential infrastructure for air cargo for a period of 10 months.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) operator Adani Airports recently wrote to its airline partners that there would be extensive demolition and reconstruction projects taking place on the airport’s existing cargo infrastructure, including a re-pavement of Apron G, which is the only apron currently devoted to air freighters. The communication said that certain operations would be suspended.

However, the airport over the weekend rushed to dispel rumors that cargo operations would be halted, writing succinctly that “Reports suggesting a closure of cargo operations from August 2026 to May 2027 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai, are incorrect.”

While the upgrades, including the construction of a new taxiway and the re-paving of Apron G, will impact the dedicated areas for air cargo operations, “Only dedicated cargo freighter operations will be suspended during this period, while overall cargo movement continues seamlessly, with approximately 65 percent of volumes handled through belly cargo on passenger flights,” the airport said.