NEW YORK– As U.S. trade negotiator Brendan Lynch arrived in New Delhi for high-level discussions, President Donald Trump’s senior trade advisor Peter Navarro declared that India is “coming to the table” for a deal — but warned that New Delhi’s oil imports from Russia remain a sticking point.
Speaking Monday on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Navarro, a long-time critic of India’s trade policies, said, “India is coming to the table.” He pointed to recent exchanges between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump as a sign of thawing relations after months of stalemate.
Trump had posted on Truth Social on Sept. 9 that talks were continuing and predicted “no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries,” while calling Modi a “great friend.” Modi responded the next day, expressing confidence that trade negotiations would “unlock the limitless potential of the India-U.S. partnership.”
Navarro, however, repeated familiar criticisms, accusing India of maintaining “the highest tariffs of any major country” along with steep non-tariff barriers. He also attacked New Delhi for buying Russian crude, claiming Indian refiners “got in bed with Russian refiners immediately after the invasion” of Ukraine and were profiting while Moscow funneled revenue into weapons purchases. That, Navarro argued, ultimately increased costs for U.S. taxpayers funding military support for Kyiv.
He added that Modi looked “uncomfortable” sharing the stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent meeting in Tianjin, calling it an “interesting stretch” for India, which views China as a long-standing strategic threat.
Lynch, now leading the U.S. team in New Delhi, is a former director for India at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. He is meeting Indian officials led by Commerce Ministry Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal. Meanwhile, U.S. ambassador-designate Sergio Gor told senators last week that India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is expected in Washington soon for direct talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The renewed momentum comes after months of tough rhetoric. Trump had imposed steep tariffs on India, including a 25 percent punitive duty linked to Russian oil imports, and once derided India’s economy as “dead.” In a Fox News interview last week, however, Trump admitted the tariffs created a “rift” with New Delhi and said imposing them was “not an easy thing to do.”
Even as Trump adopts a conciliatory tone, Navarro has continued pressing his hard line on tariffs and Russia, underscoring the competing signals emerging from Washington as negotiations move forward. (Source: IANS)
