The White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro’s recent comments have thrown the spotlight once again on the complex and contentious nature of US–India trade negotiations.

Speaking in Washington, Navarro stated that “India is coming to the table,” stressing that Prime Minister Modi’s conciliatory messaging had paved the way for fresh discussions with President Trump. 

However, he simultaneously raised sharp concerns over tariff levels, non-tariff barriers, and India’s evolving energy and geopolitical equations.

Navarro highlighted India’s tariff regime, which he described as the “highest of any major country,” and framed it as a significant obstacle to fair trade. He underscored that addressing these barriers remained a priority for Washington, in line with broader US efforts to renegotiate trade deals worldwide.

His remarks suggest that while India’s willingness to engage is noted, US negotiators are determined to extract substantive concessions, particularly in areas where American exporters perceive structural disadvantages.

Beyond tariffs, Navarro’s critique zeroed in on India’s post-2022 surge in Russian oil imports. He argued that Indian refiners seized on discounted Russian crude after the Ukraine war began, profiting heavily while indirectly fuelling Russian revenues.

According to Navarro, this revenue stream undermines Western efforts to constrain Moscow’s military capability and places additional burdens on US taxpayers funding Ukraine’s defence. Such framing ties the trade relationship not merely to economics but to broader geopolitical fault lines involving Russia and China.

Navarro chastised India’s visible engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leadership on multilateral platforms, suggesting that Modi appeared uncomfortable but nonetheless participated. His comments reflect a growing US unease over India’s balancing act—maintaining close ties with Washington while simultaneously expanding energy partnerships with Russia and engaging China diplomatically, despite border tensions.

Amid these tensions, US officials are pressing ahead with structured trade talks. Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Brendan Lynch, is arriving in India to lead bilateral negotiations, with sessions scheduled this Tuesday.

On the Indian side, Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal of the Commerce Department is steering strategy as chief negotiator. The agenda is centred on an interim trade agreement, but sticking points remain significant.

The most contentious issue centers on American demands to open up India’s agriculture and dairy sectors. For the US, access to these sectors represents a key export opportunity. For India, however, protection of these areas is non-negotiable, given their role in sustaining the livelihoods of millions of rural families. Any compromise risks political fallout domestically for New Delhi, making progress highly sensitive.

Over the past months, while both nations have acknowledged the importance of stabilising commercial ties, actual progress has been slow. India has prioritised safeguarding its economic sovereignty and strategic autonomy, particularly in food security and energy choices. Conversely, the US has linked trade to broader strategic and security concerns, pressing India to align more closely with Western positions on global supply chains, sanctions, and market access.

The coming week’s negotiations will test the depth of the US–India partnership. While both sides recognise the value of advancing a bilateral trade deal, their divergent priorities—Washington’s push for market liberalisation and energy alignment versus New Delhi’s protection of critical sectors and strategic autonomy—continue to complicate the path toward agreement.

Based On ANI Report