Howard Lutnick said, “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 Trump.” US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday claimed India will engage in negotiations with President Donald Trump within the next couple of months, describing New Delhi as the “vowel” between Russia and China in the BRICS grouping.
“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 said. “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.
He issued warning on BRICS alignment, saying, India must choose between supporting the United States and aligning with Russia and China. “They’re the vowel between Russia and China (in BRICS). If that’s who you want to be, go be it.”
The Trump administration official further said, “Either support the dollar, support the United States of America, support your biggest client, who is the American consumer, or I guess you’re going to pay a 50% tariff. And let’s see how long this lasts.”
‘US is the world’s biggest customer’
When the moderator questioned him over the possibility on India-US talks, Lutnick responded, “We’re always willing to talk.” He added that countries such as India and China ultimately depend on the American market.
“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. The US commerce secretary echoed Trump’s sentiment over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian crude. “Before the Russian conflict, India bought less than two per cent of its oil from Russia and now they’re buying 40%,” he said.
‘It’s all bravado’
Asked about prospects of a breakthrough, Lutnick said domestic pressure will eventually push India towards an agreement. Citing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he said, “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.”
Meanwhile, India has maintained that its crude oil purchases are driven by energy security and market dynamics. New Delhi turned to discounted Russian supplies after Western sanctions on Moscow in February 2022 led other buyers to cut imports.
Trade relations between India and the United States have come under strain due to steep tariffs, among the harshest imposed under President Donald Trump’s administration. Efforts to negotiate a deal to ease the US tariff burden on Indian goods have delayed.
A planned visit by US trade officials to New Delhi last month was cancelled, and no in-person meetings have taken place since. US tariffs have hit Indian exporters hard, with industry estimates cited by the news agency indicating that nearly 55% of shipments to the American mark – worth about $48 billion – now face a cost disadvantage compared with competitors from Vietnam, China and Bangladesh.
