US Officials Arrive in New Delhi to Resolve India–US Trade Dispute

On Monday night, a US trade delegation led by Brendan Lynch, Assistant Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, arrived in New Delhi.

The two sides are working to address their differences after the US imposed a 50% tariff on India last month, the highest in Asia, intended to penalize the country for its trade barriers and continued purchases of Russian oil.

New Delhi is expected to respond to the visit with cautious optimism, as both nations had earlier committed to finalizing bilateral agreements by the fall of this year. However, it remains unclear how the two sides will resolve the issue of India’s Russian oil imports, which Trump argues are helping President Vladimir Putin finance his war in Ukraine.

Trump has also previously proposed that the Group of Seven (G7) nations increase tariffs on China and India, calling them the biggest buyers of Russian oil.

Despite these warnings, Indian officials have repeatedly maintained that they will continue purchasing Russian oil as long as it remains financially viable.