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US President Donald Trump has said a trade deal with India will be reached soon, adding that it could be “different” and with “much less tariffs” as deadline for the expiration of the 90-day pause nears.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said, “I think we are going to have a deal with India. And that is going to be a different kind of a deal. It is going to be a deal where we are able to go in and compete. Right now, India does not accept anybody in. I think India is going to do that, and if they do that, we are going to have a deal for much less tariffs.”
India and US have been engaged in high-level talks as they scramble to reach a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) before the July 9 deadline. New Delhi has taken a firmer position on agricultural matters as high-stakes trade talks with the United States reach a crucial stage, government sources told News18.
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View AllHow have the negotiations been going?
Trade talks between the two countries in Washington entered the sixth day yesterday, with both sides trying to get on the same page on key aspects of the deal. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the American side has shown signs to reduce Trump’s aggressive tariff measures on India in exchange for duty-free access to the sensitive Indian agriculture market.
The Indian delegation, headed by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, has extended its stay in Washington, DC, beyond the initially scheduled talks on Thursday and Friday, as both sides work urgently to finalise an interim trade deal before the July 9 deadline.
In a conversation with Newsweek on the sidelines of the Quad Summit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “We are in the middle, hopefully more than the middle, of a very intricate trade negotiation. Obviously, my hope would be that we bring it to a successful conclusion.”
India and the US are currently negotiating an early harvest deal under the BTA through a fast-track mechanism, aiming to achieve concrete outcomes before the July 9 deadline.