Jaishankar Says Putin's Visit Won't Have Bearing On India-US Trade Talks, Cites 'Freedom of Choice'

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday firmly rejected suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent two-day state visit to India would complicate the ongoing India-US trade negotiations, asserting that no country can expect to dictate New Delhi's relations with other major powers.

The EAM noted India's autonomy in maintaining its bilateral relationship with major countries, stating that any other nation dictating New Delhi's ties with other nations was not a "reasonable proposition".

"I disagree. Everybody knows that India has relations with all the major countries in the world. And for any country to expect to have a say on how we develop our relations with others is not a reasonable proposition, because remember, the other can expect the same," Jaishankar said.

He further reaffirmed India's "freedom of choice" on the matter, noting that its policy on upholding its "strategic autonomy" continues.

"We have always made it clear already that we have multiple relations, we have a freedom of choice and we talk about strategic autonomy, and that continues, and I can't imagine why anybody would have a reason to expect the contrary," the EAM added.

Jaishankar also reiterated New Delhi's stance on "negotiating hard" in the trade deal with the US in order to safeguard the interests of farmers, workers, and small businesses of the country.

He further acknowledged the radically different approach of the new administration under US President Donald Trump but expressed confidence that a balanced agreement is achievable.

"Every government and every American president has their own way of approaching the world. I can grant you that in the case of President Trump, it's radically different from how his predecessor did it," Jaishankar said.

"We have right now a set of issues because of which the relation is crippled... What you try to do is engage and walk through the issue. We believe there can be a landing point for our respective trade interests, which will be negotiated hard -- because at the end of the day, the interests of the workers, the farmers, the small businesses and the middle class matter," he stressed.

The Minister underlined that New Delhi is being "extremely judicious" in protecting India's core economic interests while pursuing the bilateral trade agreements.

Last month, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal stated that India is hopeful of signing the first tranche of the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement within the current calendar year, indicating that talks have progressed substantially despite recent shifts in global trade conditions.

"I think our expectations, we are very optimistic and very hopeful that we should find a solution within this calendar year," the Secretary said while addressing the FICCI Annual General Meeting.

The Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), formally proposed in February following directives from the leadership of both nations, seeks to more than double bilateral trade, from the current USD 191 billion to USD 500 billion by 2030.
Talks were first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington earlier this year.

In recent months, negotiations have continued despite tariff escalations after Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods starting August 1, followed by another 25 per cent increase days later, citing India's continued purchase of Russian oil, taking the total to 50 per cent.

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