Washington: India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met with several key American lawmakers this week as New Delhi seeks to ease tensions following President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty linked to Russian oil imports.
Kwatra met Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Judiciary GOP Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, AI and the Internet, to discuss energy security and trade ties. He thanked Issa for his “steadfast support” of the India-US partnership in his role as Vice-Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority.
The envoy also held what he described as an “engaging conversation” with Representative Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, focusing on trade, defence, and energy cooperation.
In a separate meeting with Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, Kwatra stressed the importance of bilateral trade engagement and highlighted opportunities to deepen collaboration in hydrocarbons, particularly between Texas and India.
On Wednesday, the envoy also met Congressman Andy Barr, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, and explored avenues to boost bilateral trade and investment. Kwatra expressed gratitude for Barr’s leadership as Vice Co-Chair of the House India Caucus.
Over the past week, the ambassador has also held discussions with US lawmakers Warren Davidson, Marc Veasey and Michael Baumgartner, underscoring India’s efforts to strengthen congressional support for the relationship at a time of heightened trade tensions.
The series of meetings comes after India slammed the new US tariffs as “unjustified and unreasonable,” stressing that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.
