NEW WARNING TO NEW DELHI

By Anshika Khera

Donald Trump’s top economic adviser has warned India that if India fails to curb its Russian crude trade, the US President will not ease his stance on Washington’s punitive tariffs on Indian imports. US National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett called trade negotiations with New Delhi “complicated”, as he accused India of “intransigence” in opening its markets to American products.

“If the Indians don’t budge, I don’t think President Trump will,” he said. The United States on Wednesday doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a staggering 50 per cent, the highest for any country other than Brazil. This includes a 25 per cent additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. Hassett called trade negotiations with India ‘complicated’ claiming part of it “has been tied to the pressure we’ve been trying to put on Russia in order to secure a peace deal and save millions of lives. And then there’s the Indian intransigence about opening their markets to our products.”

Hassett said , as quoted, “ “When you look at trade negotiations, one lesson we’ve all learnt is that you need to keep your eyes on the horizon and recognise that there are going to be ebbs and flows before we reach the final position”.