Trump says US-India trade talks continuing, will speak to Modi soon

Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that trade talks with India would continue, despite strained ties since his imposition of 50-percent tariffs over New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil.

"I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding he feels "certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion" for both countries.

Trump also said he would be speaking with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi "in the upcoming weeks."

Meanwhile, dialling in to talks between United States and European Union officials, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of tariffs between 50 per cent and 100 per cent on oil buyers such as China and India, said the official, who was not authorised to discuss these details publicly.

The talks come as EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan, who has spearheaded the bloc's global outreach on preventing Moscow's evasion of sanctions, is leading a delegation in Washington for meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Trump dialed in for discussions Tuesday alongside Ukraine's prime minister, the US official said.

"The source of the money for the Russian war machine is oil purchases by China and India," the official added. "If you do not get at the source of the money, there's no way to stop the war machine."

Also involved in talks were Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and officials from the US Trade Representative's office and State Department.But the government official stressed that although Trump is "ready to go," he believes that "the EU has to be with us."

Another US official referred to a bill with 85 Senate co-sponsors that would authorise Trump to impose secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia -- but questioned if the European Parliament "has the political will" to step up economic pressure via tariffs.

Besides potential tariffs, which were Trump's preferred option, officials also discussed the issue of immobilised Russian sovereign assets.

Trump on Sunday had threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia, after the Kremlin unleashed its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine.

He has also threatened to penalise countries that buy Russian oil, seeking to cut off a key revenue source for Russian leader Vladimir Putin's war. But so far, he has only hit India with so-called secondary sanctions.

"We want to get serious. We want to get this war over with, and so we're strongly encouraging our European friends to get moving," the US official said Tuesday.

The EU is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia, marking its 19th since Moscow's invasion in 2022. It has said that this should include more secondary sanctions targeting countries that help Moscow avoid punishment.