'We will come together': US official on 50% tariff on India; calls Trump-PM Modi bond 'very good'

NEW DELHI: "At the end the day, we will come together," a top US official said on Wednesday, striking an optimistic note even as trade tensions flare between Washington and New Delhi after US President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods over its Russian oil imports.In an interview with Fox Business, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said, "I do think India is the world's largest democracy and the US is the world's largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together."He added that despite the disputes, the bond between the two leaders remains strong: "This is very complicated relationship. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have very good relationship."Asked whether the rupee could emerge as a global reserve currency, the anchor chuckled. Bessent brushed off the idea: "A lot of things I worry about. The rupee becoming the reserve currency isn’t one of them."Meanwhile, India has begun its counteroffensive, announcing outreach programmes in 40 key global markets -- including the UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Australia -- to boost textile exports.

Trump had earlier ramped up his criticism, mocking both India and Russia. "I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India -- their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together."