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Italy's Meloni talks to Modi in India, but skirts the U.S. Tariff Request

In a telephone call with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Giorgia Mello praised the "excellent" relations between her country and India. She did not mention U.S. demands that the EU impose tariffs up to 100 percent on Indian imports.

Officials claim that Donald Trump, the U.S. president, asked the European Union to impose new import duties on China and India this week as part of an effort to pressure Russia, the main oil supplier for both nations.

The Italian Premier's Office said that Meloni, Modi, and their respective offices reaffirmed the commitment to deepening cooperation in trade, investment, and connectivity.

The statement did not mention Trump's demands.

The statement said that the two leaders discussed Ukraine and expressed their support for "all international efforts" to promote a truce and resume negotiations in order to achieve a just peace.

India, which is the world's largest purchaser of Russian crude oil, has benefited from discounts on Russian production as Europe and the U.S. shunned Russian petroleum over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

India has stated that it will continue to buy Russian oil if it is economical, despite Trump's decision imposing heavy import tariffs against Indian goods. (Reporting and editing by Frances Kerry.)

(source: Reuters)