'Tariffs Against India Won't Work': Russia's Strong Message To US As Trump Softens Rhetoric

Russia has hit out at the United States' rhetoric, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that "ancient civilisations" like India will not bow to ultimatums. The Russian Foreign Minister's remarks, that American tariffs against India are proving to be ineffective, come at a time when the US seems to be softening its stance. Speaking on Russia’s main Channel 1 TV programme The Great Game, Lavrov said that both India and China have stood firm in response to tariff warnings from Washington. "Both China and India are ancient civilisations, and to use this language with them, 'either stop doing what I don't like, or I will impose tariffs on you well, that won't work," Lavrov said. On the US' opposition to India and China buying Russian oil, Lavrov said that Washington's

tariff decision not only undermines the economic well-being of both countries, but also "creates very serious difficulties for them, forcing them to seek new markets, new sources of energy supplies, (and) forcing them to pay higher prices."

The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff, including 25 per cent as a penalty for buying Russian oil, on exports from India entering American markets from August 27. It is affecting exports of labour-intensive sectors such as shrimp, textiles, leather and footwear.

India-US Trade Talks Resume

The tariff announcement came as representatives from New Delhi and Washington were engaged in the negotiation of bilateral trade talks and raised tensions between the two nations significantly. However, following weeks of tensions, the Chief negotiators of India and the US commenced talks on the proposed trade agreement to iron out issues in the wake of steep tariffs earlier this week.Brendan Lynch, the Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, is leading the American team, while Rajesh Agrawal, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, is India's chief negotiator.New Delhi and Washington have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) since March. The two sides have so far held five rounds of talks, and for the sixth round, a US team was expected to visit India from August 25, which was later cancelled. Last week, Trump had admitted that imposing tariffs on India was "not an easy thing to do," and it causes "a rift." "Look, India was their biggest customer. I put a 50 per cent tariff on India because they're buying oil from Russia. That's not an easy thing to do. That's a big deal and it causes a rift with India," Trump said in an interview with 'Fox and Friends'.