India will return ‘saying sorry’ in 2 months,to trade talks with Trump : US Commerce Secy

WASHINGTON D.C. : US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on September 5 issued a blunt warning to India — urging it to “support its biggest client.” His remarks came after a social media post by President Donald Trump alleged that India and Russia had been “lost” to China after the SCO Summit. New Delhi pushed back, insisting it “remained engaged” in trade talks.

Howard Lutnick said he expects India will be back at the negotiating table within the next two months “saying sorry” in a bid to sign a trade deal, arguing that the US is the world’s largest consumer and “the consumer is always right.”

“I think, yes, in a month or two months… India is going to be at the table, and they’re going to say they’re sorry, and they’re going to try to make a deal with Donald Trump. And it will be on Donald Trump’s desk how he wants to deal with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. And we leave that to him,” Lutnick told Bloomberg TV.

He added: “India doesn’t want to open their market. Stop buying Russian oil. And stop being a part of BRICS. If you want to be the bridge between Russia and China… go be it! But either support the dollar, support the United States of America… support your biggest client… or pay 50% tariffs. And let’s see how long this lasts.”

Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal expressed hope of concluding a bilateral trade agreement with the US by November. But no new round of talks has been announced after American negotiators deferred their planned August 25 visit to New Delhi. Indian officials have said removal of the 25% additional tariffs is critical for any progress on a deal.

Relations between the two countries soured earlier this year after Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Multiple US Cabinet members have since taken aim at New Delhi’s policy. India, however, has called the tariffs “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” and questioned why China — the largest buyer of Russian oil — has not faced similar measures. New Delhi maintains its energy decisions are guided by national interest and market realities.