Trump hints 25% tariffs on India while talks on trade and ceasefire claims stir diplomatic buzz.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for tariffs of 20-25% on India. Although this plan has not been officially announced through a formal letter, Trump suggested it despite the India-US trade deal working out well.
During a recent interview, Donald Trump answered the press about India preparing for a 25% tariff. In his response, Trump said that India has been imposing high tariffs on U.S. products, and he is here to change this. However, despite his statements, he has not sent India an official letter announcing the tariffs imposed on Indian goods being imported into America.
“India has been a good friend. But India has charged basically more tariffs than almost any other country over the years. But now I’m in charge. And you just can’t do that. I think the trade deals are working out very well. Hopefully for everybody, but for the United States, they’re very, very good,” Donald Trump said.
Earlier, in April, the U.S. had also imposed reciprocal levies on Indian goods imported into the U.S. before issuing a pause on it.
On the topic of the India-U.S. trade deal, India's minister of commerce, Piyush Goyal, said that the negotiations had been going "very well."
“India today negotiates from a position of strength, a position of confidence. It is this very confidence that continuously encourages us to make good free trade agreements... Our discussions with the United States are progressing very well,” Goyal said.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, also shared that India and the U.S. are in talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). “We are discussing that under a different vertical. All I can say is that our engagement is underway. The contacts are underway, and we’ll see how that goes.”
Trump also reiterated his claims of mediating the India-Pakistan ceasefire. He has repeated this claim over the past few weeks, prompting Indian politicians to question the government regarding the same. This topic has also been brought up in the monsoon session of the parliament. However, in-depth discussions on the topic is still awaited.
