Despite all the fanfare and furore in Parliament, it may be premature to celebrate or criticise the India-United States Bilateral Trade Agreement, simply because it has not yet been forged. America’s unilateral announcementsEvery announcement on the deal thus far has been made by Washington unilaterally, with New Delhi racing to play catch-up. Mr. Trump has even set up a panel of his top officials to monitor India’s oil intake. The U.S. is now pushing for India to buy American and American-controlled Venezuelan oil, for India to give up the Chabahar port project and all trade with Iran. In 2026, giving up Russian oil as a compulsion of India’s ties with the U.S. is neither principled, nor pragmatic.

Source: The Hindu February 14, 2026 09:43 UTC