US advisor Kevin Hassett’s warning on tariffs, if India does not back down then even Trump will not give any concession

New Delhi. Trade tensions between the US and India have increased once again. President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on exported goods. Meanwhile, the director of the US National Economic Council and White House advisor Kevin Hassett has said that if India does not open the market for American products, then President Donald Trump will not soften his stance.

Hassett said on Wednesday (local time) that if India does not back down then I do not think that even President Trump will give any concession. While talking to reporters at the White House, he accused India of being adamant on not opening its market for American products and indicated that if India refuses to back down then President Trump can harden his stance.

Hassett said, “I think this is a complicated relationship. One part of it is related to our efforts to put pressure on Russia so that a peace agreement can be reached and millions of lives can be saved. And then India’s stubborn attitude in opening its markets is also included in this.”

His remarks came at a time when US Customs and Border Protection confirmed that tariffs on Indian goods have been increased by 50 percent from Wednesday. Officials said that this step has been taken after President Trump’s executive order of August 6. The reason behind this is India’s purchase of Russian oil and delay in the trade agreement.

Hassett described the talks as a long process and said that patience should not be considered a weakness. When you look at trade talks, one lesson is that you always have to keep an eye on the long term and understand that there will be ups and downs before the final agreement.

US Finance Minister expressed the possibility of an agreement with India

Earlier, US Finance Minister Scott Bessent also talked about bilateral relations and said that this relationship is definitely complicated, but he is confident that both countries will eventually come together. In an interview to Fox Business, Bessent said that he hopes that a trade agreement will be reached with India by May or June.

He said that India’s stance is performative. This is different from his earlier statements, when he said that India has been somewhat uncooperative in the talks.

Bessant said, “This is a very complicated relationship. PM Modi and Trump have a very good relationship at the top level. India is the world’s largest democracy and America is the world’s largest economy. I am confident that in the end we will come together.”