Communication channels open, says govt as 50% US tariff kicks in

Communication channels remain open between India and the United States (US) as the two sides are looking to resolve the current challenges, a senior government official said on Wednesday, hours after Washington's steep 50 per cent tariff on imports from India came into effect.

- SHREYA NANDI

The American side also held out hope. Describing the India-US relationship as "very complicated", US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a television interview, said that "at the end of the day, we will come together". He nevertheless asked the US' European allies to "step up". "I don't see them threatening the tariffs on the Indians. As a matter of fact, they're the ones buying the refined products made from Russian oil."

Back home in New Delhi, a senior government official characterized the tariff tensions between India and the US as a "temporary phase in a long-term relationship".