‘Maybe They’ll Sell Oil To India!’.Trump Announces Pakistan Trade Deal, Energy Pact After Hitting India
US President Donald Trump announced a new trade agreement and energy partnership with Pakistan on Wednesday, just hours after imposing a steep 25% tariff on Indian imports. The new deal involves a joint US-Pakistan effort to explore and develop Pakistan’s substantial oil reserves, with Trump suggesting it could one day be a source of energy for India.
The announcement was made via Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, where he revealed that Washington and Islamabad are in the process of selecting an energy company to lead the initiative. “We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,” Trump wrote. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling Oil to India someday!”.
This development came in sharp contrast to the administration’s actions toward India earlier the same day. Trump had justified the 25% tariff and additional penalties on New Delhi by citing the US trade deficit and India’s continued energy and military ties with Russia. The move was seen as a significant blow to the ongoing trade negotiations between the US and India.
Trump’s post also provided a window into his administration’s broader trade strategy, indicating a flurry of activity aimed at finalizing multiple bilateral agreements. He mentioned speaking with leaders from several countries and a scheduled meeting with a trade delegation from South Korea, which recently negotiated its tariff rate down from a threatened 25% to 15% in a new deal.
The US-Pakistan agreement appears to be part of a wider push by the Trump administration to reshape global trade dynamics by striking individual deals rather than participating in multilateral frameworks. Trump suggested that more countries are coming forward with proposals for tariff reductions to narrow their trade deficits with the US, promising a full report on these developments at a later time
