Senior US lawmaker Gregory Meeks has warned that President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on India risk undermining a relationship that Washington has cultivated for decades.

Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on that Trump’s “arbitrary tariffs” threatened the “vital relationship” between the two countries. His remarks followed a meeting with Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

“I reaffirmed our commitment to deeper ties, our shared hope for peace in Ukraine, and my alarm at Trump’s arbitrary tariffs that threaten this vital relationship,” Meeks said in a statement shared by the committee. He also underlined Congress’ support for the US-India partnership, which he said had “strengthened over the past 25 years, including through the Quad.”

Ambassador Kwatra thanked Meeks for his “constant counsel and steadfast support,” adding that their talks spanned trade, energy, the Indo-Pacific, and “broader issues of mutual interest.” He also met separately with Rep. Carol Miller, Chair of the Congressional Energy Export Caucus, to discuss India’s energy security and its growing hydrocarbon trade with the US.

The exchange came as Trump’s 50 per cent tariff package on India officially took effect, including a 25 per cent penalty on New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. The move has sparked sharp criticism across Washington, with lawmakers accusing the president of singling out India while sparing China and other major buyers of Russian crude.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats said in a social media post that Trump’s policy was “hurting Americans & sabotaging the US-India relationship in the process,” adding, “It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all.”

Former vice president Mike Pence also broke ranks, stressing that “American companies and American consumers pay the cost of American tariffs.” Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton called the measures a “mistake,” warning they could push India closer to China and Russia.

Others, including former US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and former UN envoy Nikki Haley, have cautioned that weakening ties with New Delhi would be a “strategic disaster” for Washington. Kurt Campbell, a senior State Department official in the Biden administration, described India as “America’s most important relationship in the 21st century,” urging restraint.

India, for its part, has defended its energy purchases from Russia as driven by national interest and market dynamics, insisting affordable oil is essential for its economic growth. Meanwhile, Kwatra has stepped up engagement with US lawmakers in recent weeks, seeking bipartisan support to steady a partnership now tested by Trump’s tariff shock.