WASHINGTON, February 20. /TASS/. The decision of the US Supreme Court regarding US import tariff policy will not impact Washington’s plans to conclude a new trade agreement with New Delhi, US President Donald Trump has stated.
"Nothing changes. They [India] will be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs," the US leader said at a press conference at the White House.
"My relationship with Prime Minister [of India Narendra] Modi is, I would say, great," Trump continued. "I think my relationship with India is fantastic," he added.
Furthermore, the president reiterated his commitment to bringing peace to Ukraine. "India pulled out of Russia. You know, India was getting its oil from Russia, right? And they pull way back at my request, because we want to settle that horrible war<...>," Trump asserted.
Last week, the US administration announced the decision to lift the additional 25% tariff on Indian imports effective February 7, citing New Delhi’s refusal to purchase Russian oil. However, as noted in the executive order, the US will be ready to take action against India, including reinstating additional import tariffs on its goods, if it continues to purchase oil from Russia. The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that ensuring energy security for the country’s 1.4 billion people is the government’s top priority. As the ministry pointed out, diversification of energy sources in accordance with objective market conditions and the changing international environment lies at the core of the country’s strategy, and all decisions of India are and will be made taking this into account.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on February 11 that there is no reason to believe that the agreements reached between Moscow and New Delhi won’t be implemented. The Russian minister noted that no one except US President Donald Trump had spoken about India’s refusal to purchase Russian oil.