‘Priority to pull India away from China’: Trump envoy confident on trade deal; says US ‘crystal clear’ on Russian oil

The Donald Trump administration wants to ‘pull India’ to its side, away from China, according to Sergio Gor, nominee as the next US Ambassador to India. In a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Gor said that India and the US are on track to resolve trade related disputes."... While we (India-US) might have our moment of hiccups right now, we are on the track of resolving that. Our relationship with the Indian government and the Indian people extends many more decades, and it's a much warmer relationship than they have with the Chinese,” he said.“Chinese expansionism is not just on the border with India, it's all over the area... We will make it a top priority that India is pulled into our side and away from them.” he added.Also Read | ’Not far apart on tariff deal’: Trump’s India ambassador nominee says issues to be resolved ‘in weeks’; calls India a strategic partnerOn the issue of India’s procurement of Russia’s crude oil, Gor said, "... President Trump has made it crystal clear that India must stop buying Russian oil... India has been on our side on various issues within BRICS. Several countries within BRICS have pushed for years to move away from the US Dollar. India has been the stopgap for that. India is much more willing and open to engage with us than with those other nations in BRICS."Gor’s remarks come at a time when Trump and PM Modi have signalled willingness to sort out the trade deal related issues at the earliest. Trump has imposed a total of 50% tariff on India - 25% reciprocal tariffs and 25% additional tariffs for India’s crude oil trade with Russia.Talking about the India-US trade deal discussions he said, “In the ongoing trade talks, we want the Indian market to open for our crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG... India's middle class is larger than the entire US..." Sergio also said, “Our President has a deep friendship with Prime Minister Modi, which is unique. If you've noticed, when he goes after other nations, he tends to go after their leaders for putting us in that position and for the United States imposing those tariffs. When the President has been critical of India, he goes out of his way to compliment Modi. They have an incredible relationship.”Also Read | ‘We are going to sort out with India’: US commerce secretary confident of trade deal; wants a stop on Russian oil purchaseSergio Gor said, "India is a strategic partner whose trajectory will shape the region and beyond... India's geographic position, economic growth, and military capabilities make it a cornerstone of regional stability and a critical part of promoting prosperity and advancing the security interests that our nations share. India is one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world... If confirmed, I will prioritise deepening defence and security cooperation with India... I will also work towards President Trump's ambitious goal dubbed 'Mission 500' to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030... India's role in ensuring the stability and security of the region cannot be understated... President Trump's leadership and the US-India partnership will define the 21st century..."