US President Donald Trump has insisted that he is not considering reducing tariffs on Indian goods, even though India is said to have offered to completely eliminate tariffs on the US.
Trump made the statement when met by reporters at the White House, describing the two countries' trade relations as unbalanced due to the high tariffs imposed by India on US exports.
Previously, Trump, through a tweet on the Truth Social platform, stated that India had offered to reduce their tariffs to zero, but he felt the offer was made too late after years of trade imbalance.
India, in response to US tariff pressure, had proposed reducing tariffs to zero on industrial goods such as automotive components and pharmaceuticals, as long as the US provided full flexibility on its retaliatory tariffs.
However, the negotiations failed to reach a final solution.
Tensions between the US and India have been escalating after the US imposed high tariffs of up to 50% in response to India's continued purchase of oil from Russia.
Trump insisted that the decision to impose the tariffs was justified on the basis of rebalancing the trade relationship, which was seen as one-sided.
India, meanwhile, insisted that the measures were unfair and unfounded, especially when Western member states themselves continued to trade with Russia without similar obstacles.
