The middle class in India is cited by Trump’s chosen envoy as wanting New Delhi to purchase our oil.

Sergio Gor, US President Donald Trump’s choice for the country’s next ambassador, stated on Thursday that the Trump administration wants India to purchase American crude and oil products because of its sizable middle class, which is bigger than the US’s, and that the current trade negotiations are focused on that goal.

Gor emphasized that the United States can benefit greatly from India’s more than 1.4 billion people and its quickly growing middle class.

“We have every intention of opening the markets to crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas as part of the current trade negotiations. There are 1.4 billion people living there, as you are aware. According to our definition, their middle class is bigger than the US as a whole. We therefore have a plethora of opportunities to enter those areas, and we are determined to do so,” he stated.

At a Senate committee hearing for the post of US ambassador to India, the top US official made remarks at a time when the Trump administration has been putting pressure on India to cut its oil trade with Russia, claiming that the agreement helps Moscow finance its war in Ukraine. India has categorically rejected this demand.

The ambassador emphasized the “deep friendship” between the two countries’ presidents and said that although India and the US are going through a difficult time right now, they will get through it.

“What is special is the close friendship between our president and Prime Minister Modi. As you may have seen, he frequently targets the leaders of other countries for placing us in that predicament and for the US enforcing those tariffs. The President goes out of his way to praise Modi when he has been critical of India. “Their relationship is amazing,” he remarked.

Referring especially to the SCO summit, Gor commented on New Delhi’s recent thaw with China, saying, “International relations are much more than a photo opportunity.” He also added that India has warmer and deeper relationships with the US than with China.

“Although we may have some setbacks at the present, we are on course to overcome them. Compared to their relationship with the Chinese, we have a far closer bond with the Indian government and people that has lasted for many more decades. Chinese expansionism is not just on the border with India, it’s all over the area. We will make it a top priority that India is pulled into our side and away from them,” he said.

The director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and a close assistant to Trump, the Ambassador-designate, stated that Washington and New Delhi are “not that far apart” on tariffs, implying that trade disputes may be settled in the upcoming weeks. He went on to say that the US-India relationship is still “warm and strategically important” in spite of recent disputes over tariffs and India’s imports of Russian oil.

“India’s population of over 1.4 billion and its rapidly-growing middle class present immense opportunities for America. There is a lot of room for cooperation in fields like key minerals, drugs, and artificial intelligence. But it’s not simple. However, in the past, India’s protectionist policies and regulatory barriers have prevented us from fully realising this partnership,” he added.

“We’re not that far apart on a deal on these tariffs,” Gor informed the senators. In the coming weeks, I do believe it will be resolved. In addition, he stated that the US and India had a “much warmer relationship than they have with the Chinese” and long-term strategic objectives in common.

After weeks of diplomatic tension, the hearing suggested a modest change in US-Indian ties.

Gor was brought to the Senate panel by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an uncommon move. “India is one of the top relationships the United States has in the world today in terms of the future of what the world’s going to look like,” Rubio stated.

The Trump administration’s recent imposition of a 25% tariff on Indian exports and an additional 25% punitive levy related to India’s trade in Russian oil has strained relations between the US and India. India firmly rejected Washington’s position, stressing that its oil purchases are driven purely by market forces and the best interests of its people. In recent weeks, senior Trump aides have repeatedly targeted India with what New Delhi has described as unsubstantiated claims.

Trump has since changed his mind, pleading for fresh negotiations and emphasizing the closeness between the US and India. After weeks of diplomatic tension, he indicated a potential reset by saying his administration was still negotiating to remove trade barriers with India and that he planned to talk to Prime Minister Modi. PM Modi praised the change as well, stating that he completely agreed with Trump’s position.