India and the US have identified the main sticking points in their trade negotiations and are working towards resolving them. USTR Jamieson Greer, however, said a final agreement is not imminent.
Highlights:
- USTR Jamieson Greer said India-US trade talks are in the “short strokes” and towards the end.
- Greer said a final trade agreement is still “not imminent.”
- Greer met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee.
- Both sides have identified the remaining sticking points and officials are continuing bilateral discussions.
India and the United States are approaching the final stages of negotiations on a trade agreement, but a deal is not expected immediately, according to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
Greer made the remarks following a bilateral meeting with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee.
Describing the negotiations as being in the “short strokes,” Greer said the two countries were towards the end of the process and continued to work on completing the trade agreement. However, he added that he did not believe an agreement was imminent.
The comments come after months of indications from both sides that negotiations were nearing completion. Goyal had recently described the proposed agreement as “almost done and dusted.”
Greer said India and the US have identified the full set of issues that remain sticking points and officials from both sides are working to resolve them.
He also referred to the recent conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. According to Greer, another call between the two leaders could take place soon to review the progress of negotiations.
The trade discussions are taking place against the backdrop of tariff-related issues between New Delhi and Washington. According to the report, the US Congress has authorised Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India over its purchases of Russian energy, though a final decision on the rate and coverage has not yet been announced.
The report also cited trade-policy expert Ajay Srivastava of the Global Trade Research Initiative as saying uncertainty over what the US can offer under the agreement may be among the unresolved issues.
Separately, at the G20 meeting, Goyal said India’s manufacturing capacity was aligned with domestic demand and economic growth. He also argued that trade measures should be based on specific and verifiable evidence rather than broad assumptions about countries, regions or sectors.
