Hours after US President Donald Trump said India had offered to cut tariffs to zero, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed confidence that Washington and New Delhi could resolve ongoing strains. However, he also criticised India’s continued purchases of Russian crude, which he said risked fuelling Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Speaking about the state of bilateral ties, Bessent downplayed concerns about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in a recent meeting with Russian and Chinese leaders.

“This is a longstanding meeting, it’s called the Shanhai Cooperation Organisation and I think it’s largely performative,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, India is the most populous democracy in the world. Their values are much closer to ours and to China’s than to Russia’s.”

Bessent insisted that the United States and India shared a strong foundation, stressing that the two democracies were capable of navigating their differences. “I think at the end of the day, two great countries will get this solved,” he said.

TRUMP AIDE SLAMS INDIA OVER RUSSIAN OIL TRADE

Despite his optimism, Bessent also criticised India’s energy trade with Russia. He argued that New Delhi’s imports of discounted Russian crude — and subsequent resale of refined products — were effectively helping to fund the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

“But the Indians have not been great actors in terms of buying Russian oil and then reselling it, financing the Russian war effort in Ukraine,” he said.

Bessent also cited slow progress in trade negotiations as a key reason for Washington’s decision to raise tariffs on Indian goods.

TRUMP CLAIMS INDIA OFFERED ZERO TARIFFS

Earlier, Trump claimed that trade with India has been a complete “one-sided disaster,” alleging that the US has been unable to sell goods to India because of its high tariffs.

“…they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client’, but we sell them very little – Until now a totally one-sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one-sided disaster,” he wrote.

The US has recently imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing a sharp trade imbalance. In addition, it has levied another 25 per cent after India snubbed Washington’s demand to cut oil trade with Russia, taking the total duty to 50 per cent.

– Ends

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