New Delhi

Amid ongoing talks with the United States over a trade deal, retired US Army Colonel and defence expert Douglas MacGregor stated on Saturday that India will not always agree with Washington, as no nation would "move beyond the limits of its own interests."

In an interview with ANI, Retired Colonel MacGregor criticised US President Donald Trump for scaring off relationships with a nation for doing business with Russia, calling it "foolish mentality."

Trump has levied a 50 per cent tariff on imports of India goods in response to New Delhi's oil trade with Moscow.

When asked about the India-US ties, MacGregor said, "So we (US) have this habit of 'you're either with us or against us.' (Former US President) George Washington said something that we've lost touch with in the last 25-30 years: 'No state can be expected to move beyond the limits of its own interests.' We don't seem to understand that. We are not interested in partnerships or limited liability partnerships. Understand that India will not always agree with everything we say or everything we want to do."

"In the areas of trade and commerce and security, there's reason for cooperation and reason for business. So let's focus there. That's not the way it works in Washington. This is a foolish mentality that says, if you're going to do business with Russia, then we are against you," he added.

While commenting on India-US ties, the defence expert also noted that India has historically been Russia's ally. He added that nobody expects a war to break out between India and China.

"India is historically Russia's ally, even though it may be non-aligned. Secondly, nobody thinks the Chinese are going to invade India. Everyone regards the border clashes as just clashes. There is no unanimity of view on where the border runs. But nobody expects a war to break out with China and India. Also, the Russians continued to draw support from India in the international forum," he said.

Last year, Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods. Since then, New Delhi has been in talks with Washington to sign a trade deal. Days after India concluded its negotiations with the European Union on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), dubbed the 'mother of all deals', Union Minister Piyush Goyal told ANI that India is now looking to close deals with the United States and other nations.

Meanwhile, textile and apparel exports to the US contracted sharply, falling 31.4 per cent year-on-year in November 2025 compared with November 2024, according to OTXEA data and Citi Analysis. However, the FTA with the EU and other nations will help New Delhi increase its exports.

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While Trump cited India's oil trade with Russia as the reason to impose additional 25 per cent duties, the Economic Survey 2026 highlights a notable increase in crude oil imports from the US relative to Russia in the Financial Year 2026 (April-November).

"A notable increase in the diversity of countries from which India imports crude oil has been observed. In FY26 (April-November), crude oil imports from Libya, Egypt, Brazil, the US and Brunei increased significantly compared to the same period in FY25, while those from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Venezuela declined," the Economic Survey said.