Trump: India-US Trade Deal Is ‘Pretty Close’ and Will Differ From Earlier Pacts

India-US Trade Deal Near Finalisation, Trump Says Agreement Will Be Different From Past Pacts

US President Donald Trump has said India and the United States are close to reaching a trade agreement after more than a year of negotiations, while indicating that the proposed pact would differ significantly from previous deals signed by Washington.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump expressed confidence that the two countries would reach an agreement. “They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah,” he said, adding that it would be “a much different kind of deal than we’ve done.” However, he did not provide details about the proposed terms.

The remarks come as New Delhi and Washington continue efforts to resolve outstanding issues in their bilateral trade negotiations. Changes in the US tariff environment have also led to further discussions between the two sides.

Marco Rubio Signals Progress in Trade Negotiations

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also indicated that the proposed trade agreement is approaching completion. During his ongoing visit to India, Rubio said only a limited number of issues remained to be resolved before the agreement could be finalised.

“I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement. I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up,” Rubio said on Tuesday.

He expressed hope that the outstanding matters would be settled soon, allowing the agreement to be announced. Rubio also suggested that the leaders of the two countries could sign the pact once the remaining issues were addressed.

His visit to India focuses on strengthening bilateral cooperation across several areas, including trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people relations.

Trade Officials Continue Discussions on Key Issues

Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Milwaukee and Washington to discuss the remaining details of the proposed agreement.

India and the United States announced in February that they had finalised the framework for the first phase of their Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). However, subsequent changes in US tariffs prompted further negotiations over the proposed arrangement.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also indicated progress at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, stating that the major issues had been addressed and that the two countries were close to finalising the agreement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has similarly expressed optimism, saying that both sides were moving towards a resolution.

Final Terms of Agreement Remain Unclear

The latest statements from Trump and senior US officials suggest that negotiations have advanced, although several details remain unresolved. Trump’s description of the proposed pact as different from previous US trade agreements has added uncertainty about its eventual structure and terms.

The agreement’s final contours, including the resolution of outstanding trade issues, will become clearer once the negotiations conclude and the two governments announce the details of the proposed deal.