External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Sunday said that India is actively working to resolve its trade differences with the United States, describing the tariffs imposed on Indian exports as “unfair”.
Jaishankar said discussions are ongoing to find common ground on long-pending trade issues. “We have issues with the United States today — mainly that we haven’t yet reached a landing ground in our trade discussions. This has led to certain tariffs being levied on us, which we have publicly said are unfair,” he said, speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave (KEC 2025) in New Delhi.
The US had imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian shipments, along with an additional levy linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, during the administration of President Donald Trump.
Jaishankar said the second set of tariffs, related to India’s sourcing of energy from Russia, was inconsistent given that “other countries, even those with more adversarial relations with Russia, have done so.”
India and the US have already held five rounds of negotiations for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with the most recent round concluding in late September.
“At the end of the day, there has to be a trade understanding with the United States because it is the world's largest market, and also because much of the world has reached this understanding,” Jaishankar said, adding that such an agreement must respect “our bottom lines and red lines.”
The minister also reflected on broader global shifts affecting trade and strategic relations. “In recent years, we’ve seen a completely new level in the application of sanctions, even the seizure of sovereign assets,” he said, pointing to the growing influence of crypto, rare earths, and critical minerals in shaping global competition.
Highlighting the transformation in global energy dynamics, Jaishankar said the US has evolved from an energy importer to a significant exporter. “One of the big changes in recent years is that the United States, which for decades worried about its external energy dependence, has not only become self-sufficient but is now a significant exporter of energy and has made it a key part of its strategic outlook,” he added. |
