US trade talks had no role in ceasefire with Pakistan
Trump has repeatedly said that the US mediated between the South Asian neighbors when they were involved in a 4-day confrontation and offered more trade with both countries if they ceased hostilities.
'I think the trade people are doing what the trade people should be doing, which is negotiate with numbers and lines and products and do their trade-offs,' Jaishankar told Newsweek in an interview, when asked if trade talks were linked to the recent conflict in the subcontinent. 'I think they are very professional and very, very focused about it.'
The US and India are engaged in negotiations and racing to meet a July 9 deadline set by Trump, after which reciprocal tariffs will be imposed if an agreement is not reached. Speaking about the military confrontation with Pakistan, Jaishankar said that he was in the room when US Vice President J D Vance spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the night of May 9, 'saying that the Pakistanis would launch a very massive assault on India if we did not accept certain things.'
He added that Modi told Vance that there would be a response from India. 'This was the night before and the Pakistanis did attack us massively that night, we responded very quickly thereafter,' he said.
The Indian foreign minister who is in Washington for a meeting of foreign ministers of the so-called Quad, comprising India, the US, Japan, and Australia, said trade talks between New Delhi and Washington were progressing.
'We are in the middle, hopefully more than the middle, of a very intricate trade negotiation…we do think today that in trade, there will have to be some give and take,' Jaishankar said in the Newsweek interview. 'Just as people in the US have an opinion about India, Indians too have an opinion about the US. There will be some sort of middle ground, we just have to wait and watch the space for the next few days.'
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Washington and New Delhi were 'finalizing' a trade deal.
US-India Trade Deal Being Finalised, Announcement 'Very Soon' - White House pic.twitter.com/0BqcaYjGNV
A potential trade agreement, however, still faces roadblocks.
On Monday, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told newspaper Financial Express that even as the deal talks are on, India has stated that agriculture and dairy must be excluded from any tariff agreement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
‘No progress' made in Putin call
US President Donald Trump has said that his 'pretty long' phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday touched upon many important issues, but brought little tangible progress on reaching a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. During their sixth known phone call this year, the two leaders focused on the implementation of agreements reached by Moscow and Kiev during recent direct talks in Istanbul, according to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov. 'We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran,' Trump told journalists before boarding Air Force One on Thursday. 'And we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. I'm not happy about that,' added the US leader. He has consistently advocated for a negotiated settlement after vowing to end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office – a claim he later admitted was exaggerated. 'No, I didn't make any progress,' Trump said when asked whether the call brought a Ukraine ceasefire any closer. The Kremlin confirmed that Trump urged the Russian president to cease hostilities in Ukraine 'as soon as possible,' while Putin reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to negotiate. 'Vladimir Putin noted that we are still continuing the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart on the progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements' reached in Istanbul, Ushakov said. 'Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals — namely, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals,' the presidential aide added. Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he and Putin have held at least six official phone calls. The discussions have focused on negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict, arms control, and restoring bilateral relations, which reached an all-time low under the previous US administration.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' passes US House
The US House of Representatives has passed a sweeping multitrillion-dollar tax and spending package on Thursday, dubbed by President Donald Trump as 'one big, beautiful bill.' In a narrow 218-214 vote, the Republican-led House approved the 887-page measure before the July 4 deadline. The vote followed a tense 24 hours of internal GOP negotiations and pressure from House leadership and the Trump White House. Only two Republicans – Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania – broke ranks to vote against the legislation. The package now heads to Trump's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law on Independence Day. The bill represents the most significant policy achievement for Republicans since reclaiming full control of Congress and the White House in January. The legislation extends the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts and temporarily lowers taxes on tips and overtime pay. It also includes hundreds of billions in new spending to expand military funding and support Trump's planned mass deportation operations. To partially offset the costs, the bill imposes deep cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and clean energy subsidies. An estimated $930 billion will be slashed from Medicaid alone, despite Trump's previous pledges to protect the program. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade, with $4.5 trillion in revenue losses outweighing $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. It also raises the federal debt ceiling by $5 trillion. The bill's passage followed an overnight standoff triggered by GOP holdouts who had initially blocked a procedural vote on Wednesday. Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump led a concerted effort to win over dissenting Republicans, with Trump personally calling lawmakers into the early hours of Thursday. Vice President J.D. Vance was also heavily involved in the legislative push. 'Republicans in Congress have succeeded in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda,' Johnson said in a joint statement with House GOP leaders. Despite policy concessions and growing concerns over the national debt and healthcare coverage losses, most Republicans ultimately supported the bill, with critics citing fear of Trump's political backlash as a decisive factor.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
Kremlin discloses content of Putin-Trump conversation (FULL STATEMENT)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have held a lengthy telephone conversation on Thursday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has announced. The two leaders discussed ongoing Ukraine peace talks, the volatile state of affairs in the Middle East, and Russia-US cooperation, he stated. Below is the full text of Ushakov's statement as published on the Kremlin website. Dear colleagues, Another almost hour-long telephone conversation between President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and President of the United States Donald Trump has just concluded. Donald Trump began the conversation by announcing that the US Congress passed his administration's flagship bill envisaging reforms in taxation, immigration, and the energy sector. President Trump himself calls it the 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump success in implementing the changes he envisioned and, naturally, offered greetings for Independence Day, the national day of the United States, which will be celebrated tomorrow. At the same time, it was noted by our side that Russia had played a significant part in the establishment of the United States as a nation, including during the War of Independence, fought 250 years ago, and later during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago. It was stated that our countries are bound not only by their alliance during World Wars One and Two, but also by deeper historical ties. Incidentally, Vladimir Putin mentioned that just before speaking with Donald Trump, he had a conversation with representatives of Russia's business community. One of the ideas suggested during that meeting was holding an exchange of motion pictures promoting traditional values, which both we and the Trump administration hold dear. President Trump reacted immediately and said he liked this idea. There was a detailed discussion of the situation surrounding Iran, and the state of affairs in the Middle East in general. The Russian side emphasized it was crucial to settle any and all contentious issues, differences, and conflicts exclusively via political and diplomatic means. The two leaders agreed to maintain contact on the issue between the respective foreign services, defense ministries, and presidential aides. The latest developments in Syria were addressed as well. Similarly, the Russian and US sides intend to continue the dialogue on the matter. Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart on the progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul. He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations. Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals. While exchanging views on bilateral matters, the two sides confirmed their mutual interest in implementing a number of promising projects in economy, notably the energy sector and space exploration. Overall, I would like to point out that the conversation between the two presidents has, as always, shown that they are on the same page. It was candid, business-minded, and concrete. The two presidents will naturally continue communicating and will have another conversation soon. Thank you.
