‘US shouting at India in public, India isn’t’: Kanwal Sibal says onus is on Trump now to stop attacks, reach out

The onus to reach out for constructive discussions is on US President Donald Trump, who along with his administration, has been admonishing India publicly, said former Indian Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal. He said the US can play fast and loose with the Japanese and the Europeans all it wants but should treat India differently. 

“The US is shouting at India in public. India is not. The onus is on Trump to first stop attacks on India by his officials and reach out to Modi constructively. This should not be with the intention to announce that India yielded to his pressure and met US demands. He can play fast and loose with the Europeans and the Japanese who are US allies but should understand that India has to be treated differently,” said Sibal, referring to a statement by Ambassador Atul Keshap, president of the US-India Business Council to Newsweek.

Keshap said that it is pertinent for India and the US governments to talk to each other in private and resolve their differences. He said both sides have proven they are able to have difficult conversations and address problems to keep 25 years of partnership on track. Business needs predictability, signs of continued technology and supply chain collaboration, while investments, job creation and shared prosperity are worth sustaining too, he said.

Meanwhile, as if things between New Delhi and Washington were not already precarious, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro accused India of perpetuating the Russian war on Ukraine by buying discounted oil, and calling New Delhi a “laundromat for the Kremlin”. Navarro insisted that India does not need the oil but has resorted to profiteering. “India doesn’t appear to want to recognise its role in the bloodshed,” he said.

He said India makes money by refining the Russian oil and selling it, and Moscow then uses the money it has earned to make more weapons to kill Ukrainians.

“In India, 25 per cent tariffs were put in place because they cheat us on trade. Then 25 per cent because of the Russian oil. They have higher tariffs, Maharaja tariffs. We run a massive trade deficit with them. That hurts American workers and businesses,” he said, adding that the road to peace “runs through New Delhi”.