&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Not easy, big deal’: Trump admits rift in India-US ties after 50% tariff over Russian energy trade")
US President Donald Trump admitted on Friday that the 50% tariff he imposed on India for the purchase of Russian oil has soured the relations between the two countries. “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,” Trump told Fox News in a ‘Fox & Friends’ interview. “That’s a big deal. And it causes a rift with India,” Trump added.
There has been outrage in India as well as a spike in anti-US sentiment after Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent over purchases of oil from Russia.
Trump’s trade war has strained US-India ties, while talks on tariff rates collapsed after India resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Bilateral trade between the two countries is worth more than $190 billion each year.
Trump first imposed additional tariffs of 25% on imports from India, then doubled it to 50% from August 27 for New Delhi’s increased purchase of Russian oil.
On Tuesday, after weeks of diplomatic friction, Trump said his administration is continuing negotiations to address trade barriers with India and that he would talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trump has a ‘deep’ friendship with PM Modi: Sergio Gor
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Washington’s ambassador-designate to Delhi, Sergio Gor, told senators during a confirmation hearing that Trump had a “deep friendship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gor, nominated by Trump to be ambassador to India, said he expected progress when India’s commerce minister visits Washington next week. Gor also stressed that India’s population of over 1.4 billion and its rapidly expanding middle class offer significant opportunities for the US.
WATCH: WION Exclusive: Former Trump NSA John Bolton Slams Sergio Gor's Nomination as Ambassador to India
‘Will ensure they’re pulled in our direction, not away from us’
Describing the tariffs as a “little hiccup” while referring to a new India-Russia-China axis in the making, Gor said, “I will make it a top priority to ensure that they’re pulled in our direction, not away from us.”
Trump also said that his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin was running out but stopped short of threatening new sanctions over the Ukraine war, and expressed frustration at his failure to end the war.
Trump said sanctions on banks and oil were an option, along with tariffs, but European countries also needed to participate.
