"India's Time To Flex Diplomatic Muscle": US Lawmaker Amid Trade Talks

With ministerial-level talks between India and the United States set to begin in Washington, US Democrat lawmaker Ami Bera advised New Delhi to "flex its diplomatic muscle" and play Russia-Ukraine peace negotiator to seal the trade deal with Washington. Speaking to NDTV in New Delhi, he noted that 50 per cent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indian imports are benefiting no one, and are taking the India-US relationship in the wrong direction. "There's a major export market of Indian products in the United States, and it's (tariffs) going to impact Indian workers. But it's not going to help the US consumer either, as we are seeing inflation and prices go up in the United States. Nobody benefits from a trade war," he said. He mentioned that a ministerial-level delegation, including Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, will be in New York this week for the next level of India-US trade talks.