ANKARA

The Indian commerce minister said on Friday that his country does not do trade deals “with a gun to its head,” as the South Asian nation negotiates a trade deal with the US.

“We are talking to the United States, of course, but we don't do deals in a hurry and we don't do deals with deadlines or with a gun to our head,” Piyush Goyal told the Berlin Global Dialogue in Germany.

His comments came as India and the US last month resumed trade discussions amid tensions over 50% tariffs imposed on Indian goods by the Trump administration, partly for purchasing Russian oil as the war in Ukraine continues.

Goyal said that India “never takes decisions in a rush or on the pressure of the moment.”

“We've accepted if there's a tariff on us, there is a tariff on us. We're looking at how to overcome that, we're looking at newer markets, we are looking at a stronger demand impetus within the Indian economy,” he said.

The minister said he “doesn’t think India has ever decided who its friends will be based on any other considerations other than national interest.”

“The decision whether to buy a particular product from a country is something that the entire world will have to take a call on,” said Goyal, as the Donald Trump administration has pressed New Delhi to halt purchases of cheap crude oil from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

India has increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil since 2022, becoming one of Moscow’s top energy customers despite Western sanctions.

The US is India’s largest trade partner, with total goods and services trade reaching an estimated $212.3 billion in 2024.