Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal with US Senator Steve Daines and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore during a meeting on Monday, January 19, 2026. Photo credit: PiyushGoyal/X
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore and US Senator Steve Daines on Monday (January 19, 2026) and discussed bilateral issues.
The meeting is important as India and the US are engaged in negotiations for a bilateral trade deal amid a steep 50% import tariff imposed by the Donald Trump administration on Indian goods since August.
“Delighted to meet again with my good friends US Senator @SteveDaines and US Ambassador to India @SergioGor. Had a productive exchange on our bilateral relations,” Mr Goyal said in a social media post.
Mr Gore, known as a key member of US President Donald Trump’s inner circle, recently took up the role of ambassador.
In his arrival speech on January 12, he claimed that both sides were actively involved in concluding a trade agreement.
Bilateral relations are strained after Mr Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India, including a 25% additional import duty on India’s purchase of Russian oil.
Republican senators Steve Daines of Montana and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota urged President Trump to push for favorable provisions for pulses in any future trade deal with India, saying US producers face a “significant competitive disadvantage” due to what they called “unfair” tariffs imposed by New Delhi.
In a Jan. 16 letter to Mr. Trump, the two lawmakers said their states are the two largest producers of pulses, including peas, while India is the world’s largest consumer, accounting for about 27% of global consumption.
Published – 19 Jan 2026 19:58 IST
