The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, held a marathon three‑and‑a‑half‑hour meeting on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) to examine the recent trade agreements signed by India with the United States and the European Union, amid mounting political scrutiny over their implications for farmers, energy security and regional trade.
Briefing the panel, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said given the “shifted global paradigm”, the trade agreement with the United States represented the best possible outcome India could have secured. He repeatedly assured members that farmers’ interests would be protected and would not be compromised under the deal.
Mr. Misri faced sustained questioning on India’s continued imports of Russian oil, particularly in the backdrop of recent statements from Washington. He told parliamentarians that the government had chosen not to react to the U.S. executive order issued by President Donald Trump and was instead sticking strictly to the details contained in the trade agreement signed between the two countries.
The remarks came days after Mr. Trump issued an executive order withdrawing punitive 25% tariffs on Indian goods, while claiming that India had already begun scaling back purchases of Russian oil and warning that the tariffs could be reimposed if such imports increase.
