The US tells India that Russian oil curbs are the key to the progress of commercial transactions

• The US official says ongoing commercial talks about the positive part.
• Restriction of the Russian oil market vital to reduce invoices: negotiators.
• India needs more work to deal with US concerns: American employee.

United States trade negotiators have told their Indian counterparts that Russian oil markets are vital to the reduction of India’s pricing and sealing a trade agreement, two people who are familiar with the talks they said Reuters.

While trade negotiations are on a positive journey, one US official said, more work is needed to ensure that India is aiming for US concerns about market access, commercial deficit and markets of Russian oil.

US President Donald Trump has sought to push India, the European Union and NATO members to limit Russian oil markets as a way to reduce Moscow’s revenue and accelerate the war in Ukraine.

Trump’s administration has shown the willingness to use maximum leverage to promote its policy goals, as evidenced by information technology linking trade negotiations with India to demand to reduce Russian oil markets.

Trump expressed the growing frustration over the slow progress towards the end of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a conflict that promised to resolve his first day in his power.

The US has imposed an additional 25% invoice on imports from India to push New Delhi to stop its markets with a deduction of Russian crude oil, bringing total punitive duties to Indian goods to 50% and trade negotiations between the two democracies.

But Trump has avoided imposing additional invoices on Chinese imports on the markets of China’s Russian oil, as its administration navigates a fine trade truce with Beijing.

India and China are the two largest buyers of Russian oil, who are already subject to numerous US sanctions that have limited Moscow access to world markets.

In response, India defended its oil imports, underlining the economic benefits and accusing the western nations of hypocrisy for continuing trade with Russia despite sanctions.