India has reportedly put its trade talks with the US on hold after fresh uncertainty over American tariffs, following a key US Supreme Court ruling.
The move comes after the court struck down tariffs imposed earlier by Donald Trump, creating confusion over the future of US trade policy.
According sources, New Delhi has delayed sending a delegation to Washington that was scheduled to leave this week. The decision was taken after discussions between officials of both countries. No new dates have been fixed yet.
The source said the main reason for the postponement was uncertainty over tariffs after Friday’s court judgment.
After the court rejected his earlier tariff measures, Trump announced a temporary 15 percent tariff on imports from all countries. The sudden policy shift has raised questions among trading partners, including India, about the stability of US trade decisions.
The Indian delegation was expected to hold talks to finalise an interim trade agreement with Washington.
Under the proposed framework:
The US was to reduce punitive tariffs of 25 percent on certain Indian exports.
These higher duties had been linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil.
Overall US tariffs on Indian goods were expected to be cut to 18 percent.
In return, India agreed to buy $500 billion worth of American goods over five years.
The purchases were expected to include energy supplies, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals and technology products.
The opposition Congress party has called for the interim deal to be put on hold. The party has demanded a renegotiation and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for issuing a joint statement with the US before the court’s ruling.
On Saturday, India’s trade ministry said it was studying the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment and subsequent US announcements.
Last week, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had said the interim pact could come into effect in April, once the remaining issues were resolved during the Washington visit.
For now, however, the talks remain in limbo as both sides assess the shifting legal and political situation in the US.
