Trump officials are adamant on having big access to Agri and Dairy sectors

By T N Ashok

NEW YORK: In recent months, the prospect of a big trade agreement between India and the United States has been bumped, frozen, tested—and in danger of unravelling entirely. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s public insistence that any deal must respect India’s “red lines” reflects the tension at the heart of these talks: each side stakes out non-negotiables even as both acknowledge that a deal is ultimately in their mutual interest.

The immediate trigger for today’s freeze is Washington’s decision to impose steep tariffs on Indian goods, pushing some duties as high as 50 %. That includes a 25 % “reciprocal” tariff and an additional 25 % “penalty” tied to India’s continued imports of Russian oi

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