US, India trade talks are moving forward, minister says

Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg News on Aug 23, 2025

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The U.S. and India continue to talk despite strained relations after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imports from the South Asian nation and threatened to slap penalties for buying Russian crude, a sign that the two nations are seeking to end a deadlock.

“Negotiations are still going on” and ties are not broken, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at a media event in New Delhi on Saturday.

Trade talks between the two countries hit a road block after several rounds of negotiations over the past few months. Trump threatened to double tariffs on Indian exports to 50% by next week — a rate that’s far higher than regional peers — partly to punish New Delhi for its Russian oil purchases. U.S. trade negotiators deferred their visit to Delhi that had been scheduled for later this month, Bloomberg News reported earlier.

Jaishankar’s statement suggests that both nations are trying to find a way out of the stalemate, just days ahead of the tariffs entering into force. “The application tariffs for trade issues is novel”, the minister said, adding that “we have not seen a U.S. President who has conducted foreign policy as publicly as the current one.”

The minister defended India decision to buy discounted crude from Russia adding New Delhi had no discussion on the energy purchase with the Trump administration since it assumed office in January.

Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said at the same media event on Friday that India is approaching U.S. trade relationships “with a very open mind” and “a positive outlook”.

Speaking about the the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — an alliance of democracies comprising the U.S., Japan, Australia and India created to contain China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific — the minister said that while a decision on future actions had not been made, the engagement continued. India is due to host the leaders summit hosting President Trump later in the year.