India, Aug. 23 -- The three issues affecting India-US ties are trade negotiations, energy purchases from Russia, and US assertions of mediation between India and Pakistan, and New Delhi has set the protection of farmers and small producers as "red lines" in the trade talks that are continuing, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said on Saturday.

While acknowledging differences with the US, Jaishankar said other parts of the bilateral relationship with strong convergences were moving forward. In the face of reports that the Trump administration has paused talks on a bilateral trade deal, he said the discussions are still ongoing since "nobody said the negotiations are off."

"Right now, I think there are issues. It's pretty open," Ja...