India-US trade talks hit a ‘plateau’, Sitharaman says, as Russia-oil tariff threat looms

India and the United States have hit a wall in trade negotiations, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on October 5, describing the talks as having reached a plateau beyond which further concessions would be ‘very, very difficult’.
The room for a deal narrowed sharply after Washington passed a law permitting tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil, with the first actions expected around October 18 — a direct bind for India, one of the largest buyers of Russian crude.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said an agreement is not imminent. With the 10% Section 301 duty still in force, Indian exporters face an anxious wait as the October 18 tariff deadline approaches.


