NEW DELHI, July 31. /TASS/. India intends to take a firm position after US President Donald Trump introduced 25 % tariffs on its goods, as the authorities believe that the country's economy is quite capable of withstanding this pressure, the India TV channel reported citing sources in the government.

"The government believes that the Indian economy is strong enough to withstand the decision of the United States to impose tariffs. The volume of the Indian economy is $4 trillion, and we must protect the interests of our farmers, micro, small and medium enterprises," the TV channel quotes the source as saying.

The source recalled that India successfully withstood economic sanctions after the nuclear tests in Pokhran (1998) during the rule of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018), and since then the republic's economy has only grown.

"So, pressure tactics make no sense. Whatever is in the national interest, it will be done," the sources said.

Earlier, Trump said that the United States would impose trade tariffs of 25% on Indian goods, which will come into effect on August 1. He noted that despite the friendly relations between the two countries, the United States trades relatively little with India because of too high tariffs, some of the highest in the world, as well as rigid and nasty non-monetary barriers. Trump drew attention to the fact that India has always bought most of its military equipment from Russia, and is also, long with China, the largest buyer of Russian energy resources. In this regard, according to Trump, India will pay a 25% tariff plus a penalty for the abovementioned facts from August 1.

India and the United States began negotiations on a full-scale trade agreement in February after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington. The two countries aim to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. The document is expected to be signed this autumn. The Indian delegation has visited Washington several times to negotiate the document. An interim trade deal was expected by August 1, but it has not yet been announced.