‘Issuing executive orders gives Trump a sense of power’: Kanwal Sibal on the US, India, Russia dynamic
There is little point in “challenging” US President Donald Trump frontally, reasoned former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. He said the absence of Russian oil in the global market would shoot up prices as its lack cannot be fully overcome. Moreover, it would not be easy for Trump to jeopardise the trade deal with India, he added.
Kanwal’s statements come in reference to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri telling a panel led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor that the trade agreement with the US was the best possible outcome India could have secured amid the “shifted global paradigm”, as reported in a report in The Hindu. Misri also reiterated that the interests of the farmers would be protected.
Calling it a sensible take, Sibal stated, “Trump has a fetish for Executive Orders. Issuing them gives him a sense of power. No point in challenging him frontally.”
“In practical terms, Russian oil will enter the global market as it cannot be replaced in full from other sources. Oil prices will shoot up if there is no Russian oil in the market. USTR has recognised the value of the deal for the US. It will not be easy for Trump to jettison the deal and the BTA down the line on the Russian oil issue,” he explained, further adding that reimposing punitive tariffs on India will also send the relations into a tailspin.
Sibal added that the Russian oil issue is linked to ending the Ukraine conflict, and hence any progress on that front is likely to change the dynamics of the issue.
India’s purchase of Russian oil has been at the centre of the trade deal with the US. Along with the announcement of the trade deal, Trump said the tariffs on India were brought down to 18 per cent, due to India’s measures towards cutting Russian oil purchases. Trump and his team have reiterated that India – and along with it, Europe – have been supporting the Ukraine war by purchasing Russian energy.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in his latest interview with Fox News, said that India is winding down “the purchases of Russian energy products, and has started ramping back up purchases of American energy and energy from other sources”. He said India gets Russian oil, refines it, and sells it to Europe.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in a cautionary statement said that Russia hopes that New Delhi’s deal with Washington does not impact its relationship with Moscow.
