{"id":3809,"date":"2026-02-03T04:05:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3809"},"modified":"2026-02-03T04:05:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:05:57","slug":"trump-modi-strike-trade-deal-to-halt-indian-purchases-of-russian-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3809","title":{"rendered":"Trump, Modi Strike Trade Deal to Halt Indian Purchases of Russian Oil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at <strong>India<\/strong> striking a trade deal with the <strong>United States<\/strong>, the reopening of <strong>Gaza<\/strong>\u2019s Rafah border crossing, and a presidential election in <strong>Costa Rica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/world-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"world_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief newsletter-shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-world_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"World Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-world_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-world_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"world_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Slashing Tariffs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The United States and India have struck a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/02\/trump-india-trade-deal-tariffs.html\">trade deal<\/a>, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday, ending a monthslong stalemate in bilateral trade talks even as foreign powers are trying to lessen their economic dependence on Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Effective immediately, the United States will reduce the total <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/02\/business\/india-russian-oil-trump-tariffs\">U.S. tariffs<\/a> on India from 50 percent to 18 percent\u2014eliminating the 25 percent duty imposed on New Delhi for its continued purchasing of Russian oil and reducing Trump\u2019s 25 percent reciprocal tariff by 7 percentage points.<\/p>\n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi \u201cagreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela,\u201d Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116002095109616255\">posted<\/a> on Truth Social on Monday. \u201cOur amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In exchange, India will cut its duties on U.S. goods to zero and will commit to \u201cbuy American\u201d at a higher level, including by investing more than $500 billion in U.S. agriculture, coal, energy, and technology, among others. \u201cWhen two large economies and the world\u2019s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,\u201d Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/narendramodi\/status\/2018377090840830101?s=20\">posted<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>Trade talks between the two countries stalled last year over India\u2019s refusal to stop purchasing Russian crude. Even after the United States imposed secondary tariffs last August to try and pressure New Delhi to terminate its relationship with Moscow, India continued importing roughly 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil each day, according to global trade data tracker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpler.com\/blog\/russian-oil-flows-under-sanctions-an-update-two-weeks-on\">Kpler<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But new pressure on the United States in the form of last week\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/vonderleyen\/status\/2016039782439129113\">mother of all deals<\/a>\u201d between India and the European Union may have incentivized the White House to reignite trade talks. After nearly 20 years, Brussels and New Delhi clinched a monumental <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/27\/india-european-union-eu-free-trade-deal-trump-tariffs\/\">free trade agreement<\/a> last Tuesday that aimed to decrease both economies\u2019 dependence on the United States. They join a larger shift in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/27\/world\/europe\/uk-china-visit-starmer-trade.html\">global trade policy<\/a> similarly working to counter Trump\u2019s trade war.<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s U.S.-India deal appears to be a direct response to that growing trend, as Trump attempts to walk a line between his <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/08\/01\/trump-liberation-day-tariffs-global-trade-us\/\">strong-arm trade policies<\/a> and his reluctance to isolate the U.S. economy from its biggest partners.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Today\u2019s Most Read<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>The World This Week<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, Feb. 3:<\/strong> Trump hosts Colombian President Gustavo Petro.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, Feb. 4:<\/strong> U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials begin two-day trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, Feb. 5:<\/strong> The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia is set to expire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, Feb. 6:<\/strong> The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Italy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, Feb. 7:<\/strong> The mandate for Haiti\u2019s presidential transitional council expires.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, Feb. 8:<\/strong> Thailand holds a general election.<\/p>\n<p>Japan holds snap parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n<p>Portugal holds a presidential election runoff.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins a five-day trip to Australia.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>What We\u2019re Following<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Access through Rafah<\/strong>. Israel reopened Gaza\u2019s Rafah border crossing into Egypt on Monday, fulfilling one of the remaining major requirements of the U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal\u2019s first phase. Initial reports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/israel-expected-reopen-gazas-rafah-border-crossing-egypt-with-limits-2026-02-02\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=020226&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">suggest<\/a> that only a limited number of Palestinians have passed through the crossing during its first day in operation, as significant restrictions are placed on people hoping to cross.<\/p>\n<p>Rafah is the main route in or out of Gaza for the region\u2019s more than 2 million residents. Prior to its closure in May 2024, around 100,000 Palestinians had exited Gaza through this corridor. But for much of the Israel-Hamas war, the crossing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/content\/gaza-humanitarian-response-situation-report-no-65\">remained closed<\/a>, restricting Palestinians from accessing vital aid and medical treatment. Israel has said that Hamas has used the crossing for smuggling weapons. Last week, Israel finally agreed to reopen the border following the return of the remains of an Israeli killed during Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n<p>It is unclear how many Palestinians will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/01\/world\/middleeast\/rafah-crossing-gaza-egypt-israel.html\">allowed to pass<\/a> through the Rafah crossing. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that only around 50 people will be allowed to enter Gaza daily, though \u201cwe are not going to prevent anyone from leaving.\u201d Aid deliveries will not be permitted through the corridor at this time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conservative win. <\/strong>On Sunday, Costa Ricans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/01\/world\/americas\/costa-rica-election-fernandez.html\">elected<\/a> right-wing populist Laura Fern\u00e1ndez to be the country\u2019s next president. The electoral success of the 39-year-old candidate, handpicked by outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, marks the latest victory for Latin America\u2019s conservatives, who have matched Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown with their own tough-on-crime policies.<\/p>\n<p>Early results showed Fern\u00e1ndez (who will be the country\u2019s second woman president) getting more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/01\/americas\/costa-rica-elections-latam-intl\">48 percent<\/a> of the vote, giving her enough support to avoid a runoff. Fern\u00e1ndez has vowed to continue Chaves\u2019s platform, including his decision last year to <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/04\/25\/trump-latin-america-el-salvador-migration-mexico-tariffs-trade\/\">accept deported migrants<\/a> from the United States; Chaves was <a href=\"https:\/\/cpj.org\/2026\/01\/costa-ricas-press-freedom-hangs-in-the-balance-ahead-of-presidential-election\/\">ineligible to run<\/a> in the 2026 election, as Costa Rica\u2019s constitution prohibits consecutive presidential terms.<\/p>\n<p>Fern\u00e1ndez will take office in May. She follows in the footsteps of several successful right-wing candidates, including Honduran President Nasry Asfura, who took office last week after Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/04\/honduras-election-asfura-trump-hernandez-pardon\/\">personally endorsed<\/a> his campaign, and Chilean President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/15\/chile-kast-trump-populism-america-venezuela\/\">Jos\u00e9 Antonio Kast<\/a>, who is expected to begin his term in March.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Willing to talk?<\/strong> Iran and the United States will meet on Friday for negotiations in Turkey following a U.S. military buildup in the region.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-examines-diplomacy-with-us-hopes-results-coming-days-official-says-2026-02-02\/?utm_source=Facebook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=020226&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">reported<\/a>, citing officials from the two countries. Other regional nations will also attend the meetings. On Monday, Witkoff was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/witkoff-to-arrive-in-israel-for-talks-with-netanyahu-idf-chief-zamir\/\">set to meet<\/a> with Netanyahu and Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, a top Israeli military official who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/amid-reports-of-planned-direct-us-iran-talks-witkoff-to-arrive-in-israel-tomorrow-to-meet-pm-and-zamir\/\">recently<\/a> in Washington to discuss Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-examines-diplomacy-with-us-hopes-results-coming-days-official-says-2026-02-02\/?utm_source=Facebook&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=020226&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">pressed<\/a> for significant concessions from Iran, including no further enrichment of uranium, stopping support for proxy forces in the Middle East, and restrictions on its missile program. An Iranian official quoted by Reuters said that Iran was willing to be flexible on uranium enrichment.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Iran separately <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-eu-protests-revolutionary-guard-d38bc397f1bb54d7352879401449b50b?user_email=6b04284e4d00370f16d3dac0a626e01bf24d86e4d6995646867da6aa680488d0&amp;utm_medium=Morning_Wire&amp;utm_source=Sailthru_AP&amp;utm_campaign=MorningWire_02%2Cfeb-2026&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers\">protested<\/a> a European Union decision to designate the country\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group due to its recent repression of Iranian protesters. The EU decision follows a 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/designation-of-the-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps\/\">decision<\/a> by the United States to label the IRGC as a terrorist group.\u2014<em>Sam Skove<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deadly assault in Balochistan. <\/strong>Pakistan\u2019s separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/pakistan-forces-kill-145-militants-after-attacks-balochistan-chief-minister-says-2026-02-01\/\">launched<\/a> a coordinated operation on Saturday that killed nearly 50 people. The militants \u201ccame in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops,\u201d Pakistani Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said, adding that the fighters used human shields.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Pakistani security forces confirmed on Sunday that they had killed at least 145 people connected to the separatist group in the southwestern Balochistan province. According to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the number of fighters killed over the course of two days was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/2\/pakistani-forces-kill-145-fighters-in-balochistan-after-deadly-attacks\">highest in decades<\/a>. Pakistani authorities also imposed new security restrictions on the region, including bans on gathering and wearing face coverings in public spaces.<\/p>\n<p>Balochistan is Pakistan\u2019s poorest province and has faced decades of bloody conflict between BLA members and state troops. On Sunday, Bugti <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/01\/dozens-killed-multiple-attacks-pakistan\">accused<\/a> Afghanistan and India of backing the militants, repeating past claims that BLA fighters operate out of Afghan territory with Indian support. However, both Kabul and New Delhi have denied these allegations.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Pour yourself a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p38WgakuYDo&amp;list=RDp38WgakuYDo&amp;start_radio=1\">Moscow mule<\/a> and celebrate the first time that a Spanish-language album has won the Grammy\u2019s top prize. On Sunday, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny won the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/2026-grammy-awards-4d631de5d968b51276a8f06b76580e20\">Album of the Year award<\/a> for his critically acclaimed <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/5K79FLRUCSysQnVESLcTdb\"><em>Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams,\u201d Bad Bunny said in English during his acceptance speech. Other Grammy winners also criticized U.S. immigration forces during the ceremony.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/02\/us-india-trade-deal-trump-modi-tariffs-russia-oil-european-union\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at India striking a trade deal with the United States, the reopening of Gaza\u2019s Rafah border crossing, and a presidential election in Costa Rica. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. Sign [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3809","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}