New Delhi: The finalisation of the much-awaited trade deal between India and the United States is likely soon as the chief negotiators of the US and India will begin four-day talks in New Delhi on Monday. It is, however, expected that both the nations are all set to begin a fresh round of negotiations as senior officials from both sides may iron out the details of a proposed interim trade agreement.
The chief negotiator of the US, Brendan Lynch and his India’s counterpart Darpan Jain, who is an additional secretary in the department of commerce in the commerce ministry, will lead the 4-day long talks where some key areas on the agenda include market access, non-tariff barriers, customs procedures, trade facilitation, investment promotion, energy and economic security among other issues.
As per the commerce ministry, the talks will focus on finalising the interim trade pact while advancing negotiations under the broader bilateral trade agreement (BTA). The discussions build on a framework agreed by both countries in February this year, when India and the US outlined the contours of the first phase of a wider trade deal. But the current round is expected to prioritise on converting that framework into a legally binding agreement for the nations.
Earlier on February 7, India and the US had issued a joint statement, outlining the framework for the first phase of the BTA, referred to as the interim trade agreement. The next step involves finalising the legal text of the proposed deal. The framework also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to continuing negotiations on the wider trade agreement.
As part of the agreed framework, the US had committed to lowering tariffs on India to 18 per cent from 50 per cent. Finally, it had also withdrawn the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on Indian goods linked to buying Russian oil and planned to cut the remaining 25 per cent to 18 per cent under the pact. However, the latest round in New Delhi is expected to carry those negotiations forward and may include a review of the original framework in light of the revised US tariff structure.
But, on February 20 this year, the US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which were imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). After that, the US President announced the imposition of 10 per cent tariffs on all countries for 150 days, starting February 24.
In light of these changes, a meeting between the chief negotiators of India and the US scheduled for February was postponed. The two sides then met in Washington in April, when the Indian team, headed by Jain, visited America from April 20-23, 2026. To carry forward those talks, the US team is scheduled to visit India from 1-4th June to finalise the deal.
As part of the proposed deal, India had offered to lower or eliminate tariffs on a range of American industrial products and agricultural goods, including dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits. With the deal, India earlier indicated its willingness to purchase up to $500 billion worth of US goods over five years, including energy products, aircraft and components, technology products, precious metals and coking coal.
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