Jaishankar Says Intricate India-US Trade Talks Nearing Closure As White House Signals Breakthrough

S Jaishankar acknowledged the sensitive and multilayered nature of the discussions, stressing the importance of mutual compromise.

He pointed out that both sides bring their own perspectives to the table, which must be reconciled.

Source : PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has voiced cautious optimism about the prospects of concluding an intricate trade agreement between India and the United States.

Speaking at a conversation hosted by Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad at the magazine’s headquarters located at One World Trade Center in Manhattan, Jaishankar suggested that the two sides might be nearing a breakthrough, reported PTI.

"You spoke about trade, yes we are in the middle, hopefully, more than the middle, of a very intricate trade negotiation," Jaishankar said during the exchange.

He acknowledged the sensitive and multilayered nature of the discussions, stressing the importance of mutual compromise. “Obviously, my hope would be that we bring it to a successful conclusion. I cannot guarantee it, because there's another party to that discussion,” he said.

Jaishankar pointed out that both sides bring their own perspectives to the table, which must be reconciled. “And just like the US or people in the US may have views about India, people in India have views about the US too. And we'll have to find a kind of meeting ground. I believe it's possible,” he remarked.

White House confirms progress; India team in Washington

His comments come as the White House confirmed that a trade agreement with India is in the final stages of negotiation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, responding to questions at a briefing, noted that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, and that “they are finalising these agreements. You’ll hear from the President and his team, his trade team very soon when it comes to India,” she said.

Jaishankar indicated that an Indian delegation is already present in Washington DC and is actively engaging with US counterparts. “So our expectation, our hope, certainly is that we will bring it to a common ground,” he said, adding that the process involves extensive deliberations. “I can't vouch for which country has had how many rounds, but I suspect we would be among the countries which have done the most.”

He described the scope of the ongoing negotiations as highly detailed. “You are really looking at thousands of lines and doing very intricate trade-offs, both based on what are actually the market values of those lines and what could be the expected market values of those lines. So these are not simple, back-of-the-envelope calculations. Far from it.”

Reflecting on the broader trajectory of India-US ties, Jaishankar highlighted that despite occasional friction, the relationship has remained strong across presidential administrations from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump. “The trend line over the last 25 years has been very strong because there are structural factors that work for the relationship such as economics, technology, education, security and energy,” he explained.

He noted that while disagreements are inevitable, they have never derailed the relationship. “Sure, it happens. It won't be for the first time. In fact, at every one of these presidencies, I can think of something which at that time was a friction point,” he said, recalling issues such as the US decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

“Relationships will never be free of issues, even I would say, differences. I think what matters is the ability to deal with it and to keep that trend going in the positive direction,” Jaishankar concluded.