New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday rejected suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent two-day state visit to India would complicate ongoing India-US trade negotiations, saying no country can expect to dictate New Delhi’s relations with other major powers.
Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit 2025, Jaishankar emphasised India’s autonomy in maintaining bilateral relations, calling it unreasonable for any nation to seek a say in how India develops ties with others. “I disagree. Everybody knows that India has relations with all the major countries in the world. And for any country to expect to have a say on how we develop our relations with others is not a reasonable proposition, because remember, the other can expect the same,” he said.
He reiterated India’s “freedom of choice” and its continued commitment to “strategic autonomy.” The EAM also underlined that New Delhi would “negotiate hard” in the trade deal with the US to protect the interests of farmers, workers, small businesses and the middle class.
Noting the different approach of the new US administration under President Donald Trump, Jaishankar said, “Every government and every American president has their own way of approaching the world. I can grant you that in the case of President Trump, it’s radically different from how his predecessor did it.” He added, “We have right now a set of issues because of which the relation is crippled… What you try to do is engage and walk through the issue. We believe there can be a landing point for our respective trade interests, which will be negotiated hard — because at the end of the day, the interests of the workers, the farmers, the small businesses and the middle class matter.”
The minister said New Delhi is being “extremely judicious” in protecting India’s core economic interests while pursuing bilateral trade agreements.
Last month, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said India is hopeful of signing the first tranche of the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement within the current calendar year, indicating substantial progress despite recent shifts in global trade conditions. “I think our expectations, we are very optimistic and very hopeful that we should find a solution within this calendar year,” he said at the FICCI Annual General Meeting.
The Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), formally proposed in February following directives from the leadership of both nations, aims to more than double bilateral trade from the current USD 191 billion to USD 500 billion by 2030. Talks were first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington earlier this year.
Negotiations have continued despite tariff escalations after the US imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods starting August 1, followed by another 25 per cent increase days later, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, taking the total to 50 per cent. (ANI)
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