Kathmandu, Sept 7:US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has laid out three conditions for lifting the 25 percent additional tariff imposed on Indian goods, according to Bloomberg TV.
He said India must stop purchasing oil from Russia, withdraw from BRICS, and support the United States. “If India wants to act as a bridge between Russia and China, it can,” Lutnick said, adding, “but if it chooses not to support the dollar, not to support the US, and not to support its biggest customer, then it will have to pay a 50 percent tariff.”
Even so, Lutnick expressed hope that India would soon join bilateral trade talks with Washington, saying the US was always ready for negotiations.
He acknowledged tensions in trade relations but predicted that India would apologize and sit down with President Donald Trump at the negotiating table. “In one to two months, India will come to the table with Trump and apologize,” Lutnick claimed, suggesting that New Delhi would seek a new agreement on Trump’s terms, likely finalized with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi remains engaged in trade talks with Washington. He described the Quad as a useful forum for discussions among the four -member states and noted that leaders’ meetings would be arranged through diplomatic channels.
Jaiswal declined to comment directly on Trump’s statements.
The imposition of a 50 percent tariff has strained ties between India and the United States.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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