Modi-Trump Call Tackles Russia Sanctions, Trade Tensions — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- PM Modi and President Trump held their first phone call since U.S. Congress passed the new Russian sanctions law, with Modi calling it a "productive conversation" reviewing bilateral ties.
- Indian officials, including EAM S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, raised concerns over the Lindsey O Graham Sanctions Against Russia and Iran Act (SRIA) in meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Undersecretary Allison Hooker at UNGA sidelines.
- The SRIA mandates Trump to levy up to 100% tariffs on goods from India, China and other countries importing Russian oil, yet Modi's post-call statement referenced cooperation in "trade, defence, energy, critical technologies" without directly naming the sanctions law.
- Modi is expected to travel to Florida on December 14-15 for the G20 summit hosted by Trump, though officials said whether bilateral talks occur will depend partly on progress in FTA negotiations.
- Jaishankar told the Asia Society that FTA talks remain "complex" given the 30-fold per capita income gap, and that new friction has emerged from U.S. courts striking down Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" and from USTR's Section 301 investigations.
- Jaishankar also flagged U.S. ties with Pakistan as a problem given India's cross-border terrorism concerns, and said U.S. immigration policies now clash with Indian public opinion on mobility.
Why it matters: The phone call signals India's effort to head off a 100% tariff threat tied to its Russian oil purchases while keeping FTA momentum alive ahead of the December G20 summit, but with Jaishankar publicly cataloguing unresolved disputes — tariffs, courts, Section 301 probes, Pakistan, immigration — the bilateral agenda is heavier than the optimistic Modi-Trump readout suggests.
Ask SkimNews
