'India is going to be at the table soon, and they're going to say...', says US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'India is going to be at the table soon, and they're going to say...', says US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick")
Donald Trump and Narendra Modi Photograph: (AFP)
US commerce secretary Lutnick warns India over BRICS tilt, predicts talks with Trump soon, cites tariffs threat and Russian oil reliance
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday (September 5) suggested that India will soon begin trade negotiations with US President Donald Trump, even as Washington warns New Delhi against moving too close to Russia and China within the BRICS bloc. Speaking to Bloomberg, Lutnick said discussions could take place “within a month or two,” predicting that India would eventually seek to reach a compromise with the White House. “It will then be up to President Trump to decide how he wishes to engage with Prime Minister Modi,” he remarked.
Lutnick’s remarks followed a sharply worded post by Trump on Truth Social, where the Republican leader claimed, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” alongside an old photograph of Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lutnick pressed India to choose between Washington and the BRICS alignment, describing the country as the “vowel” connecting Russia and China in the grouping. He warned that aligning against the US could trigger punitive tariffs of up to 50%.
“Either you stand with the dollar and with America—your biggest customer—or you face the consequences. Let’s see how long businesses can sustain that,” Lutnick said. He stressed that the US remains the primary market for global exports, noting its $30 trillion economy. “At the end of the day, everyone comes back to the consumer. And the customer is always right,” he said.
On India’s energy purchases, Lutnick echoed Trump’s criticism of New Delhi’s increased reliance on Russian crude. “Before the conflict, India sourced less than two percent of its oil from Russia; now it’s closer to 40%,” he pointed out.
Despite US pressure, India has maintained that its decisions are guided by energy security and affordability, particularly as Russian supplies became available at steep discounts after Western sanctions on Moscow in 2022.
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Lutnick, however, expressed confidence that business lobbies in India would eventually push for a settlement. “It may feel good politically to spar with your largest client, but in the end, economics will bring India back to the table,” he said, citing similar views shared by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
