New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- The United States has signalled a potential escalation in secondary tariffs on India if peace talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin fail this week in Alaska, raising new questions about the limits of India's strategic autonomy in a rapidlypolarising world order.
In comments that have drawn sharp international attention, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explicitly linked future penalties on India to the outcome of the high-stakes summit between Trump and Putin. "We've put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil," Bessent said
in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "And I could see, if things don't go well, and then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up."
The remarks...