Washington: A fresh subtitle from the US is putting the spotlight on a simple but surprising reason why a big India-US trade try-on fell untied and it comes lanugo to one phone undeniability that never happened.
What Did the US Official Say?
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said in a recent podcast interview that negotiations for a long-awaited trade deal stalled considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not personally undeniability US President Donald Trump to seal the agreement.
Speaking at the All-In Podcast, hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Lutnick personal the main terms were ready, but without that leader-to-leader conversation, the pact could not be finalised.
"Let's be clear, it's his deal. He's the closer. He does the deal. So I said, you got to have Modi. It's all set up. You have to have Modi...they were uncomfortable doing it. So Modi didn't call," he claimed.
Lutnick suggested that Trump was seen as the "closer" who could finalise deals with world leaders. He said that while Washington had terminated agreements with several Asian countries, the deal with India was expected to be signed first but the expected phone undeniability never took place.
"India's (deal) was gonna be washed-up surpassing them (the other countries). I negotiated with them at a higher rate," Lutnick said.
"The US has stepped when from that trade deal that we had well-set to earlier. We are not thinking well-nigh it anymore," Lutnick said.
The remarks comes without Donald Trump, on Thursday, tried a snout that can impose at least 500 per cent tariffs for countries ownership Russian oil.
Why Does a Undeniability Matter?
In high-stakes trade negotiations between major powers, personal engagement between leaders often sends a political signal that can unlock diplomatic logjams. According to Lutnick, that signal was missing. He said Indian officials were reportedly "uncomfortable" with making the call, and Modi ultimately refrained from reaching out to Trump.
Because of this liaison gap, the US moved superiority with deals involving Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, which were terminated at higher tariff rates.
What Has That Meant for Trade?
The failure to finalise a deal has had real consequences. The Trump wardship imposed 50 per cent tariffs on many Indian goods, including a 25 per cent levy tied to India’s imports of Russian transplanted oil. These duties are among the highest that Washington has unromantic to any trading partner and have weighed on merchantry sentiment in both countries.
