India, Jan. 26 -- A couple of days after US President Donald Trump suggested that a trade deal was being worked out between India and US, his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has said that the additional tariff of 25% imposed by the US on India could be revoked given the reduction in India's oil purchases from Russia. To be sure, this is not the first time a senior member of the Trump administration has spoken about the state of Indo-US trade talks. There have also been negative comments, including from the US commerce secretary about the state of the talks. These pages have always underlined the view that India's best interest lies in continuously pursuing trade negotiation with the US without getting distracted by either provocative or placative statements from US officials outside the room. This first principle notwithstanding, certain observations can be made as far as things stand at the moment. Bessent's comments came just a couple of days before senior EU officials and PM Narendra Modi partake in what could be the final stage of dialogue before India and the EU announce a trade deal. While the costs of the Trump tariffs - both the "reciprocal" 25% and the blatantly unfair additional 25% on account of Russian oil purchases even though no such measure was imposed on China - have been far from insignificant, Indian exports have not shown a complete collapse. Diversion to the EU has played a role in this. Bessent used the example of India reducing its Russian oil purchases after the US tariff action to gaslight Europe for not doing enough against India in the context of the trade deal. The US's ties with the EU itself, thanks to Trump's belligerent attitude about Greenland, have hit rock bottom. It has also threatened Canada with 100% tariffs for finalising a trade deal with China. It is always hazardous to take Trump or his administration's statements at face value or even as part of some consistent messaging strategy, which one would expect with a "normal" government. But the latest olive branch to India and threats against countries such as Canada suggests that the US did not expect other countries to work out deals with each other after Trump's mercantilist approach to global trade - and is now trying to pit one against the other. India should keep its focus on diversifying its trade net without giving up on its relationship with the US. This week's EU deal is key to the first....