Moments after US President Donald Trump claimed that India had offered to cut tariffs to zero, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed optimism about resolving trade strains with New Delhi. He emphasized that India, being the world’s most populous democracy, shares values much closer to those of the US and China than to Russia.
In a conversation with Fox News, Bessent downplayed concerns about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Asserting over the he said, "This is a longstanding meeting, it's called the Shanhai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and I think it's largely performative," adding, "I think at the end of the day, India is the most populous democracy in the world. Their values are much closer to ours and to China's than to Russia's."
(Also Read: Trump Calls India-US Trade ‘One-Sided Disaster’ Following PM Modi's Meeting With Putin In China)
