- India opposes use of human rights as political tool to selectively target countries
- US convicts three in $5 million smuggling ring
- US offers $30,000 for tips exposing fraud
- Trump warns Zelensky to make deal with Russia
- US seeks $1.5 trillion investment in military: Hegseth
- India urges adoption of comprehensive, legally-binding treaty to outlaw arms in space
- 105 US lawmakers seek FBI probe into Illinois Hindu temple attack
- US approves new hepatitis B treatment
India-US Trade Deal Near Finalisation, Says Trump; Agreement to Be ‘Much Different’ From Previous Pacts
In Short
US President Donald Trump has said India and the United States are close to finalising a bilateral trade agreement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also indicated that only a few issues remain to be resolved.
Share :
US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has indicated on Tuesday that India and Washington are “pretty close” to reaching a trade agreement after over a year of discussions, although he has suggested that the proposed trade deal will be quite different from past agreements struck by the US.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said both countries wanted to reach an agreement and expressed confidence that the negotiations were nearing completion.
“They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah,” Trump said, adding that it would be a “much different kind of deal” from those the US had signed previously. He did not elaborate on the proposed terms.
Rubio says only a few issues remain
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting India, has also indicated that the negotiations are close to completion. He said only a small number of issues remained to be resolved before the agreement could be finalised.
“We're about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement,” Rubio said, expressing hope that the outstanding matters would be settled soon.
He added that the agreement could then be announced and signed by the leaders of the two countries.
Rubio’s visit includes discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people relations.
Tariff changes shape trade negotiations
In February, India and the US announced that the framework for the first phase of their bilateral trade agreement has been completed. But later, a new round of tariff adjustments by the United States resulted in additional talks between the two sides.
Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Milwaukee and Washington to discuss outstanding aspects of the proposed pact.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor recently indicated that major issues had been addressed and that both countries were close to reaching an agreement. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also expressed optimism about the negotiations, saying the two sides were moving towards a conclusion.
Final terms remain unclear
While the latest statements from Trump and Rubio point to progress, the details of the agreement have not yet been disclosed.
Trump’s description of the proposed pact as significantly different from previous US trade agreements has also left questions about its structure and terms unanswered.
The two countries are continuing discussions to resolve the remaining issues before a possible announcement and signing.
