Washington: In a strong signal of deepening commercial ties, US President Donald Trump suggested that a landmark trade agreement with India could soon materialize, following four days of intense negotiations in New Delhi earlier this month.
Addressing supporters at the Big Beautiful Event at the White House, Trump said the partnership with India looked promising and hinted that a “great deal” was potentially on the horizon. “Everyone wants to be part of a deal. Remember a few months ago when the media questioned whether anyone was interested? Well, we just signed one with China yesterday. We’ve got some great deals coming through. One of them could be with India — a very big one,” Trump declared.
Highlighting his no-nonsense approach to international trade, Trump added, “We’re not going to strike deals with everyone. Some countries, we’ll just send them a letter saying, ‘Thank you very much, now you’ll pay 25, 35, maybe even 45 per cent tariffs.’ That’s the straightforward approach, and while my team prefers to negotiate, I’d often just take the simple route.”
The negotiations in New Delhi, which concluded on June 10, focused on expanding market access for agricultural and industrial goods, addressing non-tariff barriers, and reducing overall tariffs, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The US delegation was led by representatives from the Office of the US Trade Representative, while the Indian side was headed by Rajesh Agrawal from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
A key objective of the talks was to raise annual bilateral trade from the current $190 billion to a target of $500 billion by 2030, officials said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum earlier this month, echoed Trump’s optimism. “I think to be in a very, very good place, and you should expect a deal between the United States and India in the not-too-distant future because I think we found a place that really works for both countries,” Lutnick said.
