India, US not far apart on trade deal: Trump's India nominee Sergio Gor signals US turnaround
Sergio Gor also said Donald Trump has invited an Indian delegation to Washington next week for talks that could finalise a deal within weeks
President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, said that Washington and New Delhi were close to clinching a trade deal, and called the partnership “one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world,” in a sign of growing momentum in bilateral ties after weeks of acrimonious rhetoric from US officials.
Gor, during a lengthy hearing for his Senate confirmation on Thursday, in which he repeatedly described India as a “strategic partner” and “cornerstone of regional stability”, also told the foreign relations committee that Trump has invited an Indian delegation to Washington next week for talks that could finalise a deal within weeks.
“We’re actively negotiating with the Indians right now. In fact, the President has invited their commerce and their trade minister to come visit us next week,” Gor testified. “We’re not that far apart right now on a deal. In fact, they’re negotiating down to the nitty gritty of a deal.”
The optimistic testimony marks strengthening of what has been a significant turnaround in India-US ties in recent days following weeks of turbulence that derailed trade talks scheduled in New Delhi on August 25. In late August and early September, Trump administration officials called India an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin” and demanded New Delhi choose between America and Russia-China alignment, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Beijing with Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.
Gor, currently serving as assistant to the president and director of Presidential Personnel, praised India as “the largest democracy at 1.4 billion” with whom America shares “a lot more common values” than with Russia or China.
He emphasised the unique personal relationship between Trump and Prime Minister Modi as the key factor enabling resolution of trade tensions that have seen 50% tariffs imposed on Indian exports to the US.
“Our president has a deep friendship with Prime Minister Modi, and that is something that is unique,” he told senators. “When the President has been critical of India, he has gone out of his way to compliment Prime Minister Modi. They have an incredible relationship,” he said, contrasting it with the approach Trump has had with other nations, whose leaders he has often directly targeted.
The sentiment initially began shifting this week with Trump and Modi exchanging positive statements, with Trump calling Modi a “great Prime Minister” and both leaders expressing confidence in concluding trade negotiations.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick echoed the breakthrough sentiment on Thursday, telling CNBC: “I think India, we’ll sort it out once they stop buying Russian oil.”
An email sent to the Indian ministries of commerce and the external affairs did not elicit a response.
During the hearings, senators repeatedly brought up India’s purchases of oil from Russia, with committee chairman Jim Risch referring to these purchases as “dangerous.” Gor responded that getting India to stop buying Russian oil would be a top priority for the administration. He drew a link between efforts by committee members to back senator Lindsey Graham’s bill that seeks to impose 500% tariffs for those purchasing Russian oil with Trump’s punitive tariffs on India: “so I think we’re all in agreement on that”.
When asked by one of the committee members on how he will balance being tough on trade issues while maintaining the strategic relationship, Gor said Washington treats “its friends” differently. “We hold our friends to a different standard. Frankly, we expect more from India than we do sometimes from other nations. I do think it will get resolved over the next few weeks,” he added.
Gor, 39, is seen as a highly influential figure within the organisation. His nomination will now be voted on by the Senate for confirmation as envoy to India. With the Republican Party in majority in the Senate, the endorsement is expected to be smooth.
He outlined an ambitious vision for the partnership, describing India’s “geographic position, economic growth and military capabilities” as making it “a cornerstone of regional stability and a critical part of promoting prosperity.”
He pledged to prioritise “deepening defence and security cooperation” including “expanding joint military exercises, advancing co-development and co-production of defence systems and concluding critical defence sales.”
On trade, Gor committed to advancing “trade that is fair, reciprocal and beneficial to American workers and businesses” while working toward Trump’s “Mission 500” goal to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
The nominee pledged to promote more Indian investment into the US, particularly in the manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors, while stating that the trade deficit between the two countries would be an area of particular interest for him, including market access for American agricultural product.
Gor confirmed that US trade representative Jamieson Greer “is literally working on individual items that, in the past, tariffs and barriers have made it prohibitive to be imported into India”.
The nominee emphasised continued momentum in the Quad partnership, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first meeting after being sworn in was with Quad foreign ministers, while highlighting recent joint military exercises including 500 Indian troops training with US forces in Alaska.
“The President is committed to continual engagement with the Quad. In fact, there’s already been talks on a trip for the next Quad meeting,” he said.
Addressing concerns about India’s Brics membership alongside adversaries, Gor argued that India has served as a “stopgap” against efforts by Brazil and China to move away from the US dollar.
“Indians have been on our side on various issues within Brics... India is much more willing and open to engage with us than with some of those other individuals that are in BRICS,” he testified.
The hearing suggests that behind-the-scenes diplomatic channels remained active despite public acrimony, though Gor mentioned the need to resolve the Russian oil purchases that India was making on several occasions.
“Should I be confirmed, I will make it a top priority to ensure that they’re pulled in our direction, not away from us,” Gor concluded, emphasising his commitment to strengthening the partnership despite ongoing challenges.
