US Commerce Secretary predicts India Will Seek Trade Deal With Trump, May ‘Say Sorry’ In coming months

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested that India will approach Donald Trump within the next one or two months to negotiate a trade agreement, even implying that New Delhi may have to “say sorry” before talks progress. Speaking to Bloomberg, he described India as the “vowel” connecting Russia and China in the BRICS bloc, urging New Delhi to reconsider its positioning.

Lutnick emphasized that it will be up to Trump to decide how to deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the US president’s authority in the matter. His remarks came shortly after Trump posted on Truth Social that India and Russia had been “lost to China,” alongside a photo of Modi with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit.

The Commerce Secretary warned India of potential 50% tariffs if it continues siding with Russia and China, stressing that the US remains the world’s largest consumer market. He pointed to India’s surge in Russian oil imports—from under 2% before 2022 to around 40% now—arguing that domestic business pressure will eventually push New Delhi towards striking a deal with Washington.

While the US presses for alignment, India has maintained that its Russian crude purchases are based on energy security and market realities following Western sanctions on Moscow.