He admitted that the tariffs caused a ‘rift’ in relations between the United States and India.
“Look, India was their (Russia’s) biggest customer. I put a 50% tariff on India because they’re buying oil from Russia. That’s not an easy thing to do. That’s a big deal. And it causes a rift with India,” he said.Trump first put 25% tariffs on Indian imports, then said that they would rise to 50% on August 27 as retribution for New Delhi’s increased purchases of Russian oil, as Washington attempts to settle the conflict in Ukraine.
The relations between the two countries have been strained since the imposition of tariffs on all Indian exports, with the POTUS and his aide, Peter Navarro, repeatedly criticising India’s energy links with Russia.Meanwhile, India has stated that it will continue to import oil from Russia, citing national interest and market dynamics.
Speaking about the US levies, he further said in his interview, “But I’ve already done it. I’ve done a lot. And remember this is a European problem, much more than our problem.”
In a sign of a reset after weeks of diplomatic friction, Trump said on Tuesday that his government was continuing negotiations to address trade barriers with India and that he would talk with PM Modi. In a notable shift in tone, the President stated that he looked forward to speaking with Modi in the ‘coming weeks’ and expressed optimism that they might reach a trade agreement.
On Thursday, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, said, “While we might have our moments of hiccups right now, we are on the track of resolving that. Our relationship with the Indian government … is much warmer.” Gor said he expected progress when India’s trade minister visits Washington next week.
“The president has invited their commerce and their trade ministers to come visit us next week, and he’ll be meeting with Ambassador [US Trade Representative Jamieson] Greer here in Washington. Part of that will include a hopeful deal. We’re not that far apart right now on a deal. In fact, they’re negotiating down to the nitty-gritty of a deal,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an interaction with CNBC, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday said that the US administration would ‘sort out’ a trade deal with India, but only after New Delhi stops buying Russian oil.
