New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday, August 23, said that India currently has “three issues” with the United States – trade, oil, and mediation – even as he underlined that the overall trajectory of the relationship remains positive despite visible tensions.Speaking at an event organised by The Economic Times, Jaishankar noted that disagreements with Washington were not unprecedented, pointing out that India had faced pressure on Pakistan during George W. Bush’s presidency and unease over China-related policies during Barack Obama’s term. “This reality is particularly with big countries,” he said, adding, “There are bound to be areas where you work together and areas where you argue with each other.”The first and most prominent issue today, Jaishankar said, was trade. Insisting that ongoing negotiations had not collapsed, he stated that India was holding firm on its “red lines,” particularly the protection of farmers and small producers. “We are very determined on that. That’s not something we can compromise on”.His remarks came against the backdrop of Washington’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 50% on several categories of Indian exports, sharply escalating tensions. The US had initially slapped India with 25% “reciprocal” tariffs, even as talks on a trade deal were still under way. Those discussions have since stalled, with Washington demanding zero duties on American agricultural and dairy exports, which remain politically sensitive for New Delhi.Subsequently, US President Donald Trump doubled the tariff rate with a “penalty”, to penalise India for continuing to buy Russian oil after the Ukraine war. The higher duties are set to take effect next week.Calling this the second issue, Jaishankar rejected the charge that Indian purchases were bankrolling Moscow. He argued that far larger buyers such as the European Union and China had not been subjected to the same scrutiny. “If the argument is energy, there are bigger buyers. If the argument is who’s trading more, there are bigger traders,” he said. He added that New Delhi’s decisions reflected its “strategic autonomy.”The third sticking point, he said, was the “issue of mediation”. Jaishankar stressed that India had held a “national consensus” since the 1970s that it would not accept outside mediation in its relations with Pakistan. “When it comes to opposition to mediation, this government is very clear. Our positions are there,” he said.Trump has repeatedly claimed that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after clashes in May. India has consistently maintained that the ceasefire followed a direct request from the Pakistan military. Despite this, Trump has insisted on his role and described it as one of six wars he says he has stopped since taking office.Jaishankar noted that diplomacy under the Trump presidency was highly unorthodox, with policies and pronouncements made unusually publicly. “We’ve not had a US president who’s conducted foreign policy as publicly as the current one. That itself is a departure,” he said. “The fact that a lot of this is said in public, often the first pronouncement is in public, is even more unusual.”The minister also dismissed allegations that India was profiteering unfairly from Russian oil. Earlier this week, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro described India as the “laundromat for the Kremlin.”“It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” Jaishankar said. He added that if Western countries had a problem with Indian oil exports, “don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it.”He recalled that in 2022, Washington had explicitly conveyed it had “no issues” with India purchasing Russian oil, since it helped stabilise global prices. He described the subsequent imposition of tariffs on India as “unfair and unjustified,” particularly as other countries continued to trade with Moscow in far greater volumes.When asked about the demonstrative US reset with Pakistan, Jaishankar noted that Washington and Islamabad had a “history of overlooking that history.” He remarked, “They have a history with each other, and a history of overlooking that history. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such things.”Despite the frictions, Jaishankar struck a conciliatory note on the way forward, saying India and the US remained “two big countries” that needed to keep talking. “The lines are not cut, people are talking to each other. We will see where that goes,” he said.The Indian minister did not answer directly on whether a Quad leaders’ summit will be held in Delhi later this year, as had been previously scheduled. Prime Minister Modi had invited Trump to India for the Quad leaders’ summit during his visit to Washington in February.On India’s ties with China, Jaishankar urged against drawing direct links between developments in different areas of foreign policy. “There is not one problem or one cluster of problems with a single timeline. Different problems have different histories, and we are at different levels of processing,” he said.At the same time, he pointed to signs of stabilisation. Border disengagement had made progress, leading to improvements in other areas. “We have always maintained that if the border is stable, predictable, and free of incidents, then there is a natural improvement in the rest of the relationship,” he said.Since the resolution of the military stand-off, India’s relations with Beijing have thawed, with Modi traveling to China next week for his first trip in seven years.Jaishankar also highlighted the practical needs of Indian industry. “For our farmers, a predictable flow of fertilisers is important. For those in infrastructure, getting machinery from China is important. For our auto industry, an uninterrupted flow of magnets is important. These are legitimate issues of our industry. We should take them up with China and address them for the businesses and workers of India,” he said.