“India’s red lines must be respected,” Foreign Minister Jaishankar makes a major statement amid trade deals and tariffs.

New Delhi: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has made a major statement regarding the double tariffs imposed by the US on India and the failure to finalize the India-US trade deal. During an event in New Delhi, he said that efforts are underway to resolve the issues in the trade talks between the two countries, but any deal must respect New Delhi’s “red lines.” Several rounds of talks have been held between India and the US regarding a trade deal, but no consensus has yet been reached.

“America is the largest market, but…”
Amidst the ongoing tensions in India-US relations over US President Donald Trump’s policy on tariffs, the Foreign Minister said on Sunday that India’s borders must be respected in any trade agreement between the two countries. Speaking at an event at the Kautilya Economic Enclave in New Delhi, the Foreign Minister made this significant statement. The Foreign Minister stated that understanding between the two sides on trade is crucial, as the US is the world’s largest market, while India also has its own limitations.

The extra tariff imposed on India is unfair.
According to PTI, S. Jaishankar stated that there are some issues with the US regarding the trade deal, and this is a major reason why the trade talks have failed to reach a concrete conclusion. The US has imposed high tariffs on India due to the stalling of this deal. In his address, he said of the 25% extra tariff imposed by Trump on India, “We have publicly stated that we consider this second tariff to be very unfair. We have been targeted for energy trade with Russia. However, other countries have also done the same, including those with more hostile relations with Russia.”

The Foreign Minister stated, “India’s stance is clear.”
S. Jaishankar further stated that whatever ultimately happens, a trade agreement with the US must be reached, as it is the world’s largest market. In any agreement, there are some things you can negotiate and some you can’t. India is completely clear about its position. He stated that negotiations on the India-US trade deal have been ongoing since March. “There are problems and issues, no one can deny that, but they need to be negotiated, discussed, and resolved, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

Why Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India
It’s worth noting that US President Donald Trump had previously imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on India. However, when trade deal negotiations between the two countries stalled, the US accused Russia of providing financial support to the Ukrainian war through the purchase of Russian oil and weapons, and the tariff was increased to 50% by imposing an additional 25% tariff. Following this, negotiations on the trade deal were put on hold, but in recent days, they appear to be moving forward again.