The US and India are close to resolving differences over a trade deal, President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador said Thursday, while reiterating demands that New Delhi stop buying Russian oil.
“We are not that far apart right now on a deal. In fact, they’re negotiating the nitty-gritty of a deal,” Sergio Gor told a Senate committee in his nomination hearing in Washington. Indian negotiators are expected to meet with Trade Representative Jamieson Greer next week, he said.
India’s purchases of Russian oil remain a key source of tension in the relationship, though, and it’s unclear how that would be resolved in the trade deal. Trump slapped India with 50% tariffs in August, half of which was a penalty for the Russian energy purchases, which he says is helping President Vladimir Putin finance his war in Ukraine.
“We expect more from India than we do sometimes from other nations,” Gor said. Getting India to stop buying Russian oil is a “top priority” for the Trump administration, he said.
Earlier Thursday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC the India trade deal hinges on its trade with Russia. “I think India, we’ll sort it out once they stop buying Russian oil,” he said.
The US and India are resuming trade talks after weeks of a bitter feud, with Trump saying this week he’ll speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks. The US president nominated Gor, a close White House aide, to the ambassador post last month. Gor will also become Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs.
Indian officials have struggled to engage with the Trump administration in part because major foreign policy roles — including the ambassador post — have been empty for so long, Bloomberg News has reported.
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Published on September 12, 2025