United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday told Fox Business that the relationship between New Delhi and Washington is “very complicated” and that he hoped that “at the end of the day, we will come together”.

Bessent’s statement came on the day the 50% tariff rate on goods imported from India to the US took effect.

The Donald Trump administration had announced on August 6 that it would double the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the Ukraine war. A 25% so-called reciprocal tariff had already taken effect.

Trump has repeatedly alleged that India’s imports were fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In an interview to the American news network on Wednesday, Bessent claimed that the unease in the relationship between Washington and New Delhi was not just because of India’s Russian oil purchases but also the delay in the two countries reaching a trade agreement.

“This is a very complicated relationship…President [Donald] Trump or Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi have a very good relationship at that level,” Bessent said. “It is not just over Russian oil. The Indians came in early after [April 2] to start negotiating on tariffs and we still don’t have a deal.”

The US official added that he had thought that Washington would have finalised a deal with New Delhi in May or June.

“I thought India could be one of the earlier deals,” he said. “And they kind of tapped us along in terms of the negotiations. And then there is also the aspect of the Russian crude purchases, which they’ve been profiteering on. So there are many levels going on here.”

He added that India is the world’s largest democracy and the US is the world’s largest economy and that at the “end of the day, we will come together”.

Negotiators from both countries had completed a fifth round of talks in Washington in July. The next round, scheduled for Monday, was abruptly cancelled.

Bessent also said that when there is a “schism” in trade relations, the deficit country is at an advantage.

“The US is the deficit country,” he said. “It’s the surplus country that should worry. So, the Indians are selling to us. They have very high tariffs and we have a very large deficit with them.”

On Monday, Modi said that his government would not succumb to pressure from the secondary tariffs.

“No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand it,” the prime minister said. “My government will never let harm come the way of small entrepreneurs, farmers, livestock rearers.”

New Delhi had previously said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

“We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson had said at the time. “India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

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