New Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday, October 24, said India would not be pressured into signing a trade agreement with the United States, saying that the country would not operate under deadlines or external pressure.
Speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue, Goyal said India was open to engagement but would prioritise national interests over speed.
India Rejects Deadline-Based Trade Talks
“We are talking to the United States, of course, but we don’t do deals in a hurry, and we don’t do deals with deadlines or with a gun on our head,” Goyal said, responding to a question on ongoing trade negotiations. When asked about the increasing role of tariffs and time-bound agreements in trade diplomacy, Goyal said India’s strategy was guided by long-term goals rather than immediate concessions.
“India looks long term, India never takes decisions in a rush or on the pressure of the moment. And we’ve accepted if there’s a tariff on us, there is a tariff on us. We’re looking how to overcome that, we’re looking at newer markets, we’re looking at a stronger demand impetus within the Indian economy. So we have a very resilient structure,” he added.
His remarks come amid efforts by both countries to revive a long-pending trade pact aimed at reducing high American tariffs. The United States currently imposes up to 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, with an additional 25 percent linked to New Delhi’s continued import of Russian oil.
Trump’s Claim on Russian Oil and India’s Response
Goyal’s comments coincided with US President Donald Trump’s fresh remarks on India’s Russian oil imports. “He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do. They’ve cut it way back, and they’re continuing to cut it way back,” Trump said earlier this week, while also praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great person” and hinting that both nations were “working on some deals.”
However, the Ministry of External Affairs denied any recent communication between the two leaders. “I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified.
New Delhi has maintained that its energy imports are guided by national interest and energy security. Despite occasional friction, trade negotiations are said to be progressing steadily, with both sides aiming to raise bilateral trade to 500 billion dollars by 2030.
