WASHINGTON: The White House press secretary stated that US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on India to stop the Russia-Ukraine war.
Addressing a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to sanctions on India while talking about ending Russia-Ukraine war.
She said that “The President has put tremendous public pressure to bring this war to a close. He has taken actions as you seen sanctions on India and other actions as well. He has made himself very clear that he wants to see this war and he has rejected the ideas of others that have been raised that we should wait another month before any meetings takes place. The President wants to move forward and bring war to an end as quickly as possible.”
Earlier, US-India trade talks were put on hold by the western country. US trade representatives were set to visit to New Delhi, now they are not. The visit that was expected to take place between August 25 and August 29 will likely be rescheduled.
As of now, there is no information that when talks will be held again. No official statement has been released in this regard.
It is pertinent to mention that Trump’s cumulative 50 per cent tariff rate on India is among the highest on any of the US trading partners, and has drawn a sharp response from New Delhi.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that India is being unfairly singled out for buying Russian oil while the US and its ally, the European Union (EU), themselves continue to purchase goods from Russia.
The delay in negotiations deals a blow to Indian manufacturers who were hoping to get some relief before the remaining tariff on Indian goods kicks in.
So far, India and the US have held five rounds of negotiations, which have resulted in a stalemate over disagreement on opening India’s vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases.
Also read: US treasury’s Bessent slams India, labels New Delhi ‘recalcitrant’ in stalled US–India trade talks
