US President Donald Trump has said India and the United States are “pretty close” to finalising a bilateral trade agreement after more than a year of negotiations. He also suggested that the proposed pact would be different from Washington’s previous trade agreements, although he did not provide details about its expected terms.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said both countries wanted to reach an agreement. His comments come as New Delhi and Washington continue efforts to resolve outstanding issues amid changes in the US tariff landscape.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting India, has also indicated that negotiations are nearing completion, with only a limited number of issues left to settle.
Rubio Signals Progress on Trade Negotiations
Rubio said the two countries were close to finalising the agreement, describing the remaining differences as a small number of issues that needed to be resolved before the deal could be formally concluded.
He expressed hope that the outstanding matters would be settled soon, allowing an announcement to follow. He also indicated that the leaders of the two countries could sign the agreement once the negotiations were complete.
Rubio’s India visit includes discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people relations.
India and US Continue Work on Trade Pact
Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Milwaukee and Washington to discuss the remaining details of the proposed agreement.
India and the US had announced in February that they had finalised the framework for the first phase of their bilateral trade agreement. However, subsequent changes in US tariffs led to further discussions between the two sides.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has also expressed optimism, saying the major issues had been addressed and the countries were close to concluding the agreement. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar similarly indicated that negotiations were moving towards a resolution.
Final Terms Remain Unclear
Despite the positive signals from both governments, the final terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Trump’s description of the pact as a “much different kind of deal” has added uncertainty about its structure and potential implications for businesses and exporters.
The coming weeks could prove important as negotiators work to settle the remaining issues. Until the agreement is formally concluded and its terms are made public, the scope of the deal and its impact on bilateral trade remain uncertain.
Conversation
Be kind and stay on topic. Comments are moderated; abuse, spam and personal attacks are removed. Report a problem