Overview

• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said India is among countries the U.S. needs to "fix," urging New Delhi to open its markets and stop actions he said harm American interests.
• He tied tariff relief to shifts in India’s energy posture, criticizing the surge in Russian oil imports and warning that access to the U.S. consumer market requires "playing ball" with the president.
• The Trump administration’s measures include reported 50% duties on many Indian goods, with a 25% penalty linked to Russian oil purchases, which India has called unfair and unreasonable.
• India’s Commerce Ministry said talks in Washington on Sept. 22–24 were constructive and that both sides agreed to continue work toward an early, mutually beneficial trade agreement.
• Lutnick framed the U.S. approach as leverage-based and predicted India would return quickly to negotiate further, while New Delhi has defended its energy procurement as driven by national interest.