Rare topic in US-India trade negotiations: US requests to include "de-Russification" in the agreement.

According to informed sources, despite Indian oil refining companies increasing their imports of Russian oil to meet the growing domestic demand, the United States is still trying to include the issue of India sourcing oil from Russia in bilateral trade agreement negotiations. Informed sources stated that during a meeting held on Tuesday, a team led by U.S. Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch raised this issue with Indian negotiation representatives. This request is rare as in most cases, the relationship between one country and a third country rarely becomes part of bilateral trade negotiations. The Indian Ministry of Commerce has not responded to requests for comment on the matter, and the U.S. Trade Representative's Office has refused to comment. Earlier this week, a team of U.S. officials traveled to New Delhi for a one-day negotiation. Previously, U.S. President Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India (one of the highest tariffs imposed by the United States on an Asian country), and the discussions aimed to ease the tension that arose between the two sides. This week, Trump called Indian Prime Minister Modi to congratulate him on his birthday, and there were signs of a thaw in relations, which makes the Indian side cautiously optimistic about reaching a trade agreement. Informed sources pointed out that during the meeting on Tuesday, India requested the United States to cancel the additional 25% tariff on Russian energy imports, but it seems difficult to resolve in the short term. The Indian government stated that these additional tariffs are "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable," and defended India's purchase of Russian oil as a necessary measure for energy security. Reports on Friday stated that as fuel demand in India increased after the monsoon season, Indian oil refining companies have no plans to reduce their purchases of Russian crude oil, and the Indian government has not issued any instructions to restrict imports. After the meeting on Tuesday, both the U.S. and India stated that the talks were "constructive", covering various aspects of the trade agreement, and agreed to "intensify efforts" to achieve the agreement. Previously, the United States and India had promised to sign a bilateral trade agreement before the fall of this year, but later due to the hardening stances of both sides and Trump beginning to pressure New Delhi regarding its relations with Russia, the negotiations reached a deadlock. In addition, the United States is also seeking further access to India's dairy and agricultural markets, but India is hesitant about this.