US President Donald Trump on Thursday signalled a major trade deal with India could be coming soon, just a few weeks after negotiators from both countries concluded four days of closed-door discussions. Speaking at the ‘Big Beautiful Event’ at the White House, Trump described his relationship with India as promising and said a “great deal” might be in the works.
“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,” he said.
Trump also made it clear that the US would not be entering trade agreements with every nation.
“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,” he added.
India-US trade deal talks
The four-day negotiations took place in New Delhi and concluded on June 10. According to reports, the discussions mainly centered on expanding market access for both industrial and agricultural goods, reducing tariffs, and addressing non-tariff barriers, sources familiar with the matter said. The US delegation was led by officials from the Office of the US Trade Representative, while the Indian side was headed by Rajesh Agrawal from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The talks reportedly aimed to boost annual bilateral trade between the two countries from the current $190 billion to an ambitious $500 billion by 2030.
Earlier this month, speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick expressed optimism that a trade deal between India and the United States could soon be finalised, as both countries have been able to identify common ground that aligns with their respective interests. -(IndiaTV)
