'Why does he continue to dig a hole in US-India ties?': Kanwal Sibal on Bessent's tirade against EU

Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary of India, on Thursday questioned US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the latter's recent comments against the European Union for signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. 

On Wednesday, Bessent went on a tirade against the European Union's recently finalised FTA with India, also referred to as the 'mother of all deals' by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"Why does he continue to dig a hole in US-India ties? India has not been buying 'sanctioned' Russian oil. It has bought Russian oil at discounted prices imposed by the US. Why does he play with facts for propaganda purposes?" Sibal wrote in a post on X. 

Sibal added that the US is selling arms to Europe for supplying to Ukraine and continues to provide vital space-based and intelligence support to Ukraine for targeting Russian assets. 

"The US is striking economic deals with China which is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas. No US concern here for the people of Ukraine?" 

Sibal explained that Europe brought refined products from India because it imports energy. "The US is the biggest oil producer and is selling LNG to Europe to replace Russian gas. Why not make an honest analysis instead of hollow moral lecturing," he said towards the end of his post. 

Speaking to CNBC, he argued that the FTA was in contradiction with the EU's public stanceon Ukraine. 

"They should do what’s best for themselves," Bessent said. "But I will tell you, I find the Europeans very disappointing." He also alleged that the EU continued to buy refined products from India that are linked to Russian oil. 

"The Europeans were unwilling to join us," he said. "And it turns out, because they wanted to do this trade deal."

Bessent argued that this weakened Europe's messaging on Ukraine. "So every time you hear a European talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember that they put trade ahead of the Ukrainian people."