4 months ago
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said the commercialized woody with India did not hap due to the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not telephone U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mr. Lutnick’s remarks came a fewer days aft Mr. Trump said that Mr. Modi knew helium was unhappy with India's purchases of Russian lipid and that Washington could rise tariffs connected New Delhi "very quickly".
The menace by the U.S. President came astatine a clip erstwhile the 2 countries were negotiating a bilateral commercialized agreement. So far, six rounds of negotiations person been held for that. The pact includes a model woody to resoluteness the 50% tariffs connected Indian goods entering America.
Mr. Lutnick, successful a podcast connected Thursday (January 8, 2026), said helium asked Mr. Modi to telephone the President to adjacent the deal. However, helium said India was “uncomfortable” doing it, “so Mr. Modi didn't call”.
The Commerce Secretary said the U.S. did commercialized deals with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, but helium assumed the commercialized woody with India was going to beryllium done earlier them.
“We did Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and we announced a full clump of deals. So we did this full clump of deals due to the fact that we negotiated them and assumed India was going to beryllium done earlier them. I person negotiated them astatine a higher rate. So present the occupation is that the deals came retired astatine a higher rate. And past India calls backmost and says, ‘Oh, okay, we are ready. I said, acceptable for what.”
