New Delhi | US President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to impose a 50 per cent tariff on nearly all goods arriving from India on Wednesday, levelling one of his most punitive levies at a country with deep ties to the United States.

The 50 per cent rate, half of which is punishment for India’s buying Russian oil, is expected to damage many Indian exporters that collectively employ millions of people. The move could also rupture America’s expanding economic relationship with India, where two-thirds of the largest US corporations have offshore operations.