‘Differences Can’t Be Settled Overnight’: Senior US Official on India-US Trade Agreement
The 25 per cent duty would impact India more harshly than other key trade partners, potentially undoing months of dialogue between the two sides.
Following the United States’ announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, a senior American official remarked that differences between India and the US cannot be settled overnight in order to finalise a trade agreement.
Addressing reporters late on Thursday, he said, “Our concerns with India — it has always been a relatively closed market… there are several other types of geopolitical complications.”
“You’ve seen the president raise concerns regarding, for instance, India’s BRICS membership, its purchases of Russian oil and similar matters,” he further stated.
The official noted that there had been positive conversations with India on the issue and added, “These are intricate relationships and complicated matters, and so I don’t believe anything can be settled quickly with India.”
His statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that trade negotiations with India were still ongoing, just hours after he declared a 25 per cent tariff on imports from India starting Friday.
The 25 per cent rate would disproportionately affect India compared to other major trade allies, and might derail several months of negotiations between the two nations — potentially weakening a key strategic ally of Washington and a counterweight to China.
India has been under growing pressure from Western powers, including the US, to reduce its cooperation with Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
However, New Delhi has resisted such calls, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and national economic interests.
BRICS, where India is one of the core members, has been described by Trump as antagonistic towards the US. The bloc has rejected that notion, maintaining that its objective is to advocate for the collective aspirations of member nations and other developing economies.
