Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday 'deeply' appreciated United States President Donald Trump's 'positive assessment' of the India-US partnership after the American leader hailed the 'special' relationship between the two nations -- remarks seen as an attempt to check the downturn in the ties.
'The current strain in the relationship is serious and likely to be long lasting.' 'Even if Trump suddenly changes his attitude toward India -- which he is entirely capable of doing -- it is unlikely that New Delhi will be able to pick up the pieces and respond as if nothing has happened.'
Waltz after being elected as the Co-Chair of India Caucus in January last year had said that India is the world's largest democracy and an important strategic partner for the United States.
India and the US have decided to hold sector-specific talks in the coming weeks to finalise the structure of the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), the government said on Saturday. The engagement between the two countries came in the backdrop of the USA's threat to impose reciprocal tariffs on its key trading partners, including India, on April 2.
'We are a responsible nation, and would prefer to deal with sensitive issues with the maturity they deserve rather than take to social media.'
'If Washington has to balance Chinese power, she will have to turn to the third biggest power in the world which is India.' 'The United States and India will have to work together in order to keep Chinese ambitions in check.'
'As one former Indian diplomat put it to me, Delhi has access to the White House, but Islamabad has access to Mar-a-Lago.'
Trump's new rules for how countries should treat him have led to the current breakdown in India-US relations, explains Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton says President Trump's personal relationship with Prime Minister Modi has deteriorated, potentially pushing India closer to Russia and China.
Trade, defence cooperation and regional strategy had long formed the backbone of India-US ties, but the latest rift shows how quickly those pillars can be shaken by personal grievances and political optics.
On Friday, during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked about media reports that some Indian oil companies have stopped taking oil from Russia, had said India has made clear its approach on the issue.
'We should watch -- in the near term -- for signs that the two have totally fallen out at a personal, political level.' 'Trump and Modi know how to be dealmakers, but they also know how to hold a grudge.'
'...it should not delude itself into thinking that India's security or its great-power ambitions will be advanced by those partnerships.'
'Instead, what India should focus on is on riding out the next three-and-a-half years of Trump's presidency with minimal damage to itself.'
Persisting uncertainties related to the US trade policies pose downside risk to the overall demand in the Indian economy while the inflation outlook for the near term has become more benign than anticipated earlier, RBI said in its latest bulletin on Thursday. In the August bulletin, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also said that India's sovereign rating upgrade by S&P bodes well for capital inflows and sovereign yields, going forward.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in Tianjin on Sunday, their first in about 10 months, for wide-ranging talks aimed at improving relations.
Navarro's remarks came after the public display of bonhomie by the three leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Monday.
Officials said the government-to-government engagement between the two countries on all other issues remains normal, but conceded rough spots over trade that need ironing out.
'I do believe there will be a resolution in the next couple of months on the penal tariff and hopefully on the reciprocal tariff also.'
The remarks assume significance since Trump has repeatedly criticised the high tariffs charged by India and other countries on American goods.
'Trump is not shy when he is frustrated with countries'
Ukraine's Ambassador to India Oleksandr Polishchuk asserted that Kyiv "will not give up and will not accept any territorial concessions" amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. He also suggested Moscow has benefitted from trading with New Delhi.
The statement did not name any country. But the US has often blamed India and China for purchasing Russian oil even when there are no tariffs on Beijing for it.
The Congress party has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's description of India and the US as 'natural partners,' citing President Trump's claims of using trade as leverage in India-Pakistan relations. The remarks come amid ongoing trade negotiations and fluctuating relations between the two countries.
India and the United States will be signing a new defence framework during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing visit to the US, which will give a further fillip to the partnership between the two countries, a senior White House administration official said on Thursday.
'You are a guest in the US. It's not your home, you're a guest. If they don't feel comfortable, you have to step out.'
Sullivan remarks come amid the rising friction between Washington and New Delhi due to the 50 percent tariffs imposed on Indian goods, which include a 25 percent penalty for buying Russian oil.
Indian envoy Vinay Mohan Kwatra discussed fair, balanced and mutually beneficial trade ties with US lawmakers amid ongoing tariff tensions between New Delhi and Washington.
Trump also repeated his claim that seven fighter jets or more were shot down during the hostilities.
Amid escalating India-US trade tensions, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre -- the tony cultural event outfit run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's wife -- has postponed next week's theatrical event in New York, citing "unforeseen circumstances".
The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has urged the Centre to provide immediate relief measures as the tariffs imposed by the United States have started hitting the industry. US tariffs of 50 per cent on Indian goods came into effect on August 27.
'America is adopting the typical 'my way or the highway'/'Either you are with us or against us' stance.' 'This is a policy India is not going to accept.'
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India and China should approach their relations from a "strategic" and "long-term perspective" during their talks in Tianjin. Xi also emphasized upholding multilateralism and working towards a multipolar world.
India and the US will sit together in the next couple of weeks to decide on the nature of the proposed trade agreement and finalise its broad contours, a senior official said on Monday. During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, India and the US announced to more than double the two-way commerce to $500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025.
The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. His meeting with President Xi Jinping is significant given global economic concerns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Japan and China to further national interests and build cooperation for regional and global peace.
Apex exporters body FIEO on Tuesday expressed serious concerns over high US tariffs on Indian goods and said that textiles and apparel manufacturers in Tirupur, Noida, and Surat have halted production amid worsening cost competitiveness due to these steep duties. The US duties on Indian goods will increase to 50 per cent from August 27.
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'If the near-term economic pain is absorbed more by those who have the ability and the financial strength to do so, then small and medium enterprises in downstream industries will emerge stronger from the trade imbroglio.'
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