NEW DELHI, August 1. /TASS/. India will continue negotiations with the US on trade issues amid the latest statements and decisions of US President Donald Trump, but will not undermine time-tested ties with Russia under pressure from Washington, Ash Narain Roy, former director of the Indian Institute of Social Studies of India and an expert in international relations, told TASS.
According to him, Trump's latest statements and decisions look "almost like a slap." "No respectable country, much less India with its own profile and involvement in the BRICS, can just accept that. This is a kind of intended snub," the expert noted.
"The Indian government knows this and is prepared for it. Talking about India-Russia ties, they are not transactional. They are time-tested and have a history behind them," Roy pointed out. "This is a reality that that the Americans know," the expert added.
According to him, the Indian authorities "will still negotiate" with the US. "If there is a compromise, that's fine. Otherwise, it's fine; no issue. But we are not going to change our time-tested relationships, and I'm sure the Americans will realize that too. Trump is known for saying one thing and changing it overnight and all that," the expert said.
Roy is convinced that India will not succumb to US pressure. "As a sovereign nation, we have the right to buy from whomever we want. You can sanction us. We have nothing to do with your sanctions. It's your understanding of things. They don't suit us. In that case, there should be sanctions against Americans for what they've done in the past, whether in Vietnam, China, Latin America, or Cuba. It's simply nonsensical," the expert added.
Earlier, Trump said that despite friendly relations between the two countries, the US has relatively little trade with India because tariffs are "far too high, among the highest in the world." The US president pointed out that India has always purchased most of its military equipment from Russia and is also, along with China, is also the largest buyer of Russian energy resources. According to Trump, India will pay a 25% tariff in this regard. The US leader later stated that he does not care about the economic and trade ties between India and Russia, calling their economies "dead." On July 14, Trump said that the US would impose tariffs of about 100% on Russia and its trading partners if the Ukrainian settlement is not reached within 50 days.