Trump signals India tariff cuts as loyalist Sergio Gor sworn in as ambassador

US President Donald Trump faces a new test in his political diplomacy with India; Sergio Gor, a long-time loyalist, takes over as ambassador in New Delhi amid tensions over trade and Russian oil imports that are putting pressure on the two countries’ strategic ties.

At Gor’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Trump said Washington could soon lower tariffs on Indian goods, indicating both sides are moving closer to a trade deal.

“Customs duties imposed on India due to Russian oil are really high” [imports]but now they have significantly reduced Russian oil [imports]”That’s why we’re going to lower tariffs,” Trump said.

However, data from market research firm Kpler showed that India’s Russian crude oil imports remained largely unchanged at 1.59 million barrels per day (mbd) in October compared to September.

“So far, 1.73 million barrels of Russia’s October exports have been signaled to India, while the other 302 kbd (thousand barrels per day) has not yet indicated its final destination (some of it may also reach India),” the tank tracker said, adding, “It is too early to draw a clear picture for November.”

Trump said Gor’s priorities would include encouraging investment in key U.S. sectors, increasing America’s energy exports and expanding security cooperation.

“I expect Sergio to strengthen one of the most important relationships, and that is his strategic partnership with the Republic of India,” Trump said.

Gor, whose nomination as the US ambassador to India was approved by the Senate on October 7, came to New Delhi a few days later and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss defence, trade and technology issues. “We also discussed the importance of critical minerals to both of our nations,” Gor said. he said in a statement.

Gor represents an effort by the White House to communicate with New Delhi faster, more directly, bypassing the usual diplomatic red tape, said Alexandra Hermann of Oxford Economics.

“[This] “This shows the desire to reach a trade agreement sooner rather than later,” Hermann said.

“A ‘political’ ambassador rather than a ‘traditional’ diplomat may indeed speed things up, but it also increases the risk that views in both countries will deteriorate, they will become less isolated and relations will become even more unstable,” he added.

High tariffs, a $100,000 fee for H1B visas and Trump’s repeated claims to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan are among the issues that have deteriorated strategic ties between New Delhi and Washington in recent months, experts say.

“You cannot be the most highly taxed country in the world, even more than China, and then talk about military friendship and joint maneuvers,” said Raghuram Rajan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India. 6 November event Organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The last time Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger tilted the US towards Pakistan During the 1971 India-Pakistan warRajan, now a professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth, warned that this was pushing India closer to the Soviet Union for the next 25 years.

Shortly after the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports in August, Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin; where a viral clip showed him laughing with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

New York Times He described the moment as “the smiling manifestation of a troika that Moscow says it hopes to revive soon” and even noted the appearance of closeness between Modi and Putin, who shared a car to a meeting on the sidelines.

India’s aid to Russia continued. A delegation of 20 Indian companies this week joined The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), an organization under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement on Monday at this year’s Moscow International Team Fair.

“Our engineering exports to Russia are growing rapidly and are expected to reach $1.75 billion this year,” FIEO President SC Ralhan said in a statement, adding that participation in the exhibition will “deepen commercial ties” and help increase bilateral trade between the two countries.

But experts say Russia remains a limited partner compared to the United States

According to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, India exported $4.88 billion and imported $63.84 billion to Russia in fiscal 2025. By contrast, the US accounts for 18% of India’s exports, while Russia accounts for just 1%, said Hermann of Oxford Economics.