External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday addressed ongoing trade frictions between India and the United States, saying that while discussions continue, both sides have yet to reach a resolution. He described some of the tariffs imposed by Washington as “unfair.”
Speaking at a panel discussion during the Kautilya Economic Forum in New Delhi, Jaishankar said:
“Today, we have issues with the United States that we haven’t yet arrived at a landing ground in our trade discussions. In addition, there are certain tariffs being levied on us, which we have publicly said are unfair.”
On Tariffs Linked to Russian Energy Imports
Jaishankar also spoke about the secondary US tariffs affecting countries sourcing energy from Russia. He acknowledged the challenges but stressed that India should view these issues in perspective.
“There is a second tariff which has picked on us for sourcing energy from Russia. Of course, other countries — including some that have far more antagonistic relationships with Russia — have done the same. I’m not minimizing the issues, but I don’t think we should take it to a point as though this will percolate into every dimension of the relationship,” he said, as quoted by ANI.
The minister’s comments come amid continuing discussions between New Delhi and Washington to rebalance trade terms and address market access barriers.
On US-China Rivalry and Global Politics
Jaishankar further underlined that the US-China relationship will continue to shape the direction of global politics, noting that growing competition between the two powers has intensified global risks.
“Clearly, what we can see is that the US-China relationship in many ways is going to influence the direction of global politics,” he said.
The External Affairs Minister’s remarks reflect India’s nuanced diplomatic position — maintaining strong ties with both Washington and Moscow, while navigating global trade pressures and shifting geopolitical dynamics.
