The US seeks greater trade and energy cooperation with its ally India, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said, while acknowledging friction between the countries over New Delhi’s import of discounted Russian oil under sanctions.
Wright made the remarks at a press conference organised at the New York Foreign Press Centre on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the high-level United Nations General Assembly session.
India has a rapidly growing energy demand due to increasing prosperity and opportunity among its people, Wright noted. “I’m a huge fan of India; we love India. We look forward to more energy trade, more interactions back and forth with India,” he said.
Wright was responding to a question from PTI regarding recent comments by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on expanding energy trade with Washington, and that India’s energy security goals will have a significant element of US involvement.
“And then India is caught up in the middle of another issue,” Wright said, referring to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
The US remains concerned about the flow of sanctioned Russian oil to countries like India, China, and Turkey, which, according to Wright, is helping fund the war in Ukraine.
Wright also highlighted US President Donald Trump’s commitment to achieving world peace. “When I talk to him, it does not matter what the topic is, peace comes up. How can we use our tools and leverage to drive peace? And the Russian war in Ukraine, of course, is brutal. We all want to see it come to an end,” he stated.
In response to India’s purchases of Russian oil, the Trump administration has imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India as a penalty, bringing the total levies imposed by the US on India to 50 percent—among the highest in the world.
Currently, the US accounts for about 18 percent of India’s total goods exports, 6.22 percent in imports, and 10.73 percent in the country’s total merchandise trade.
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