India, Aug. 14 -- Former diplomat Vikas Swarup has lauded India's firm stand in trade negotiations with the United States, saying the country has done the "right thing" by resisting pressure from the Trump administration to open its agriculture and dairy sectors.

He said caving into a bully would only encourage the bully to increase demands, and yielding would invite even more pressure.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods in two phases, citing India's imports of Russian oil.

In July, Trump had announced a 25 per cent tariff along with an unspecified penalty, despite hopes of an interim India-US trade deal that could have prevented higher duties.

However, days later, he imposed...