New York. Terming the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) as “extremely disappointing”, the US said that due to this trade agreement, European countries do not want to support Washington in imposing tariffs on the purchase of Russian oil from New Delhi.
US Finance Minister Scott Besant said on CNBC’s program ‘Squawk on the US Street’ on Wednesday, “They can do whatever they think is best for them, but let me tell you that the attitude of the European countries is very disappointing, because they are at the forefront of the Ukraine-Russia war.”
Besant was responding to the question of the “big” trade deal between Europe and India and whether it poses a threat to the US as these countries move towards free trade without Washington’s consent. He said, “…India started buying banned Russian oil, and guess who was buying the refined product? European countries. So, European countries are funding a war against themselves, and this is something that cannot even be imagined.”
Besant said, “America imposed sanctions or 25 percent duty on India to buy oil from Russia. The European countries did not want to cooperate with us and it seems that they wanted to do this trade deal. So, whenever you see a European becoming an advocate for the Ukrainian people, remember that he put trade above the Ukrainian people. Trade-European trade is more important than ending the war in Ukraine.”
When asked whether European countries needed energy, Besant said, “They want cheap energy, but if we were willing to buy embargoed Russian oil, we could get cheap energy, too.” For the second consecutive day, an American leader has made similar comments on the trade agreement between India and the European Union.
This agreement has been called the ‘Mother of All Deals’. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa signed this trade agreement in New Delhi. On the same day, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had said that India was the biggest beneficiary in this trade agreement.
Read this also:
Second meeting of India-Arab foreign ministers: Emphasis will be on these issues, Arab League member countries will participate after 10 years
-
Meet Aamir Khan’s co-star who went missing, becomes an internet sensation after 30 years because of Ranveer Singh; Name is…
-
Nirmala Sitharaman Profile: Did you know Nirmala is a JNU pass out? Know her education, political journey and family tree here
-
Union Budget 2026: Expectations of salaried taxpayers and households on income tax, jobs, tax relief
-
DA Hike Big Update: Modi government likely to hike Dearness Allowance to 63 percent, AICPI-IW Data signals…
-
Georgia Wareham Stars with Bat and Ball as Gujarat Beat Mumbai Indians in WPL 2026
