US Trade Representative Jamison Greer said on Wednesday that he expects to meet Commerce Secretary Piyush Goyal “soon” even as a US trade delegation prepares to visit India next week for talks on an interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA).
Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Greer expressed hope that the agreement could be finalized soon. “We have had many meaningful discussions. We have concluded a framework agreement with the Indians. I have a team going there next week. I expect to meet my counterparts soon as well,” Greer said. “I would really like to be in a position to finalize our agreement with them as well on the basis of the common framework that we agreed on. That would be historic for the United States and India.”
The US team visits India on June 1
Greer said that the US delegation visiting India from June 1 to 4 will be headed by Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch.
Separately, the Commerce Ministry said the upcoming talks are aimed at finalizing details of the interim agreement and taking forward negotiations under the broader Indo-US FTA.
Referring to the February 7 joint statement between the two countries, the ministry said the framework reaffirmed their commitment to negotiations on a broader bilateral trade agreement.
She added that to achieve this goal, the Indian negotiating team visited Washington, D.C., last month (from April 20 to 23) to hold a round of personal meetings with their American counterparts. “In order to continue the discussions, the US team led by the chief negotiator will visit India from June 1 to 4, 2026,” she added.
“It is proposed to finalize the details of the interim agreement and move forward with negotiations within the framework of the broader free trade agreement in multiple areas such as market access, non-tariff measures, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, and harmonization of economic security,” the statement said on Wednesday.
Recent contracts between India and the United States
Senior officials from India and the United States have held meetings in recent weeks. US Ambassador Sergio Gore met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 20, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India from May 23 to 26.
HT reported on April 25 that the talks were on two broad tracks, creating a legally defensible tariff structure after the Supreme Court ruling, and securing India’s comparative advantage over rival exporters such as China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Definitional uncertainty in focus
The negotiations are taking place amid legal uncertainty surrounding the reciprocal tariffs proposed by US President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The uncertainty follows the US Supreme Court’s February 20 ruling striking down reciprocal tariffs under IEEPA. The ruling affected the proposed tariff framework that formed part of the February 7 understanding between India and the US.
