US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday claimed that India will most likely begin negotiations with President Donald Trump in the coming months, comparing New Delhi to the "vowel" between Russia and China in the BRICS block.
“So, I think yes, in a month or two months, I think India is going to be at the table, and they're going to say they're sorry, and they're going to try to make a deal with Donald Trump,” Lutnick told Bloomberg in an interview.
“And it will be on Donald Trump's desk how he wants to deal with (Narendra) Modi, and we leave that to him. That's why he's the President,” he added.
Lutnick’s comments came hours after the Republican President wrote on Truth Social, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump also shared an old photo of Prime Minister Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Warning of India's position within BRICS, Lutnick said New Delhi will have to choose whether to stand with Washington or get closer to Moscow and Beijing. "They're the vowel between Russia and China (in BRICS). If that's who you want to be, go be it," he wrote.
He underscored that the US market is still at the heart of international commerce. "Either stand behind the dollar, stand behind the United States of America, stand behind your largest customer, who is the American consumer, or I suppose you're going to pay a 50% tariff. And let's see how long this takes," Lutnick declared. When asked for comments about potential negotiations with India, he replied, "We're always willing to talk."
“We are the consumer of the world. People have to remember, it's our $30 trillion economy that is the consumer of the world. So eventually they all have to come back to the customer, because we all know eventually the customer is always right,” he added.
Parroting Trump's attack on Indian energy policy, Lutnick also noted New Delhi has dramatically ramped up Russian oil imports. “Before the Russian conflict, India bought less than two per cent of its oil from Russia and now they're buying 40%,” he said.
On the possibility of a breakthrough, Lutnick maintained that Indian business pressure will end up forcing India to compromise. Alluding to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's words, he stated, “So I think what happens is it's all bravado, because you think it feels good to fight with the biggest client in the world, but eventually your businesses are going to say you've got to stop this and go make a deal with America.”
India has, however, stood its ground, arguing that oil imports are an energy security and market-based decision. New Delhi switched to discounted Russian supplies when Western sanctions against Moscow early in 2022 prompted other nations to cut back imports.
Trade between the two countries has been tense because of high tariffs introduced under Trump's rule. Attempts to ease the burden on Indian exporters have not moved forward, with Reuters news pointing out that a scheduled visit by US trade representatives to New Delhi last month was cancelled. There have been no face-to-face talks since.
Based on industry estimates quoted by the agency, almost 55% of Indian exports to the US — amounting to around $48 billion — are now disadvantaged against rivals in Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh.
