Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Aug 27: Tariff tensions between India and the United States deepened on Wednesday after Washington imposed an additional 25 per cent penalty on New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil and defence equipment.

Despite the strain, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent voiced optimism about bilateral ties. Speaking to Fox Business, he said, “I do think India’s the world’s largest democracy, the US is the world’s largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together.”

Commenting on the long-pending trade pact, Bessent admitted, “We still don’t have a deal,” while describing India’s approach to negotiations as “performative.” He added that talks had been dragging despite India’s early engagement.

“The Indians came in early after Liberation Day to start negotiating on tariffs and we still don’t have a deal. I thought we would have a deal by May or June. I thought India could be our earlier deals and they tapped us along in terms of negotiations. There’s also that aspect of Russian crude purchases which they have been profiteering on,” Bessent remarked.

The standoff underscores the widening rift between the two nations on trade and energy, even as both sides stress the importance of strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific.