Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed reports of a deadlock in India-US trade talks, saying he had “great meetings” with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Goyal’s comments came after a Reuters news agency report claimed that India had rejected a quick trade agreement with the US in recent talks and that New Delhi was “holding out for a better deal”.
“This news is completely false, baseless and misleading. I had great meetings with US Trade Representative, Jamison Greer, when he visited Delhi in June,” the union commerce minister said in a post on X.
He added that the two sides “reaffirmed their commitment” in recent meetings to reaching an agreement that is “balanced and commercially meaningful, and provides tangible benefits to companies, farmers, workers and consumers in both countries.”
Goyal said the commercial teams “remain fully engaged” in achieving the goal.
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What did the report say?
While India allegedly rejected a quick trade agreement with the US, the report claimed that “there was no consensus because Washington did not provide assurances on New Delhi’s key demands,” citing an unnamed Indian government official.
The report quoted a US official as saying that India had at times been “slow, bureaucratic, and difficult in negotiations, suggesting that a quick agreement was unlikely.” The Indian Ministry of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative did not respond to email requests for comment, the report said.
“I don’t see any challenge in trade talks”: Sissi
Commerce Minister Rajesh Agarwal had also earlier said that there were no hurdles in concluding the Indo-US trade agreement. “We do not see any challenge in the India-US trade deal negotiations,” Agarwal said during a press conference on the June 2026 trade data, according to news agency ANI.
Talking about the recent engagement between New Delhi and Washington, Agarwal said that the Indian team visited the US in May, while the US team came to India last month. He added, “The talks are taking place within the correct framework.” Agarwal stressed that the two sides maintained a positive tone regarding the deal, and said that “the deal is ready.”
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“The framework agreement between India and the United States is ready. We are ready to sign. The right time is being waited for,” he said, according to ANI. He added that while work on the deal had been completed, things had become “organized.” “We are progressing well,” Agarwal said.
Regarding the broader trade environment, Agarwal explained that US tariff actions have created uncertainty for many partners, saying that these IEEPA tariffs are over. “Now again they are holding discussions with other countries. They are conducting a parallel investigation,” the Commerce Minister said, adding that India was part of these discussions. “We have joined the consultations. Everything is moving in the right direction,” he said.
“High optimism… it will happen soon”: US State Department
Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Margaret MacLeod said last week that US officials expressed “great optimism” about the interim trade agreement with India.
“We are hearing from US government officials that there is great optimism that this will happen soon, but for specific details, it would be best to ask the US Trade Representative directly,” the spokesperson told ANI.
US Trade Representative Jamison Greer, accompanied by the US delegation, visited India in June and held talks with Goyal to advance negotiations on the trade agreement.
