'I think at the end of the day we will come together': US official on ties with India amid trade war

In an interview with Fox Business, he said, "I do think India's the world's largest democracy, the US is the world's largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together."

Shedding some light on the current status, he said that "we still don't have a deal", adding that India's stance regarding the talks had been "performative".

Although it was expected that the trade deal would come through by May or June, India has taken a measured approach towards the agreement, he said.

"The Indians came in early after Liberation Day to start negotiating on tariffs and we still don't have a deal. I thought we would have a deal by May or June. I thought India could be our earlier deals and they tapped us along in terms of negotiations. There's also that aspect of Russian crude purchases which they have been profiteering on," he said.

Bessent also said that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a "very good rapport at the top level".

"This is a complicated relationship. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have a very good rapport at the top level, but it's not just about Russian oil," he said.

The comments come as the Trump administration, which was earlier viewed as India-friendly, has slapped a 25 percent tariff on the South Asian country for its high tariffs on American exports and another 25 percent for purchasing oil from Russia, which is fighting a war against Ukraine.

The White House, which has singled out India over Russian oil purchase, said the second 25 percent tariff will be effective from August 27, 2025.