The United States said it was preparing to host an Indian delegation in Washington later this month, reflecting renewed efforts to boost bilateral trade ties as the two countries move closer to finalizing a proposed deal.
The statement came after a high-level meeting between Ambassador Sergio Gore and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. After the talks, Gor said Thursday on X that the meeting was “highly productive,” adding that discussions focused on @POTUS’ other trade agenda in South and Central Asia.
“The United States and India have previously agreed on a trade agreement, and we look forward to welcoming the Indian delegation to Washington later this month,” Gor added.
This diplomatic engagement comes concurrently with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s three-day official visit to the United States.
During Misri’s visit, he is holding discussions with senior US officials to review the state of bilateral ties, including cooperation in trade, defense and critical technologies.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the main objective of the visit is to deepen strategic ties, providing an opportunity to review the full range of India-US ties and further cooperation in key sectors.
Similarly, India’s ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said the visit allows both sides to review the full scope of the partnership with their American counterparts. Ambassador Kwatra mentioned that the aim of the visit is to “advance discussions across key pillars of our bilateral agenda, including trade, defence, technology and exchange perspectives on regional and global developments”.
India-US trade agreement
India and the United States announced a bilateral trade agreement on February 2, 2026, after months of negotiations between the two sides. Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the pact “historic”.
A key feature of the agreement was the reduction of tariffs on Indian goods, which were reduced from 50 percent to 18 percent. The agreement also outlined India’s commitment to invest $500 billion over five years in US sectors such as energy, aerospace (including aircraft and parts), metals, coal and technology.
The framework also highlighted India’s curbing of its purchases of Russian oil and petroleum products, according to an overview released by the White House. However, amid the conflict with Iran, India has been “allowed” to import a limited amount of Russian oil, which the US says will not provide Moscow with financial benefits.
Additionally, on February 20, the US Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by Trump under the National Emergency Act. On the same day, Trump announced a new across-the-board tariff of 10%, which he raised a day later to 15%, the highest rate allowed under a different, largely untested legal provision on which the new tariffs are based.
(With input from agencies)
