India-US Trade Deal Talks Near Final Stage, Says USTR Greer

Negotiations on the India-US bilateral trade agreement have entered the final stage, although a formal announcement is not expected immediately, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday, local time.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the 2026 G20 Trade Ministers Meeting, Greer described the negotiations as being in the “short strokes,” an American expression referring to the final stage of a task.

“I think we're toward the end of it,” Greer said.

He also said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had a “very constructive call” on Wednesday morning, US time, and could hold another conversation soon to review the progress of the negotiations.

“My sense is that the President and the Prime Minister may have another call very soon on this just to assess progress and where we are,” Greer told ANI.

Greer cautioned that an immediate announcement should not be expected, but said both sides had identified the key areas that remained unresolved and were working toward addressing them.

“I don't think there's something imminent, but we truly have identified the universe of items that are sticking points, and we're working diligently toward them,” he said.

Speaking about his meeting with India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Greer described the discussion as constructive and said officials from both countries were continuing negotiations.

“We had a very constructive conversation, Minister Goyal and myself. Our staff is meeting right now, since they're in the country and we're here. We are continually trying to finish the trade deal with India,” Greer said.

Goyal met Greer on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Milwaukee. Following the meeting, Goyal said on X that he had held a productive discussion with the USTR on the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial interim agreement under the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

The meeting between Goyal and Greer came shortly after a phone conversation between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. During the call, the two leaders reviewed progress on trade, defence, energy, critical technologies and other areas of mutual interest.

Ahead of Goyal’s visit, India’s Commerce Ministry said the minister would hold bilateral discussions with his US counterpart to advance a balanced and mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement and work toward finalising an interim deal in line with the Joint Statement issued on February 7, 2026.

India and the United States announced the finalisation of the framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement in February. However, subsequent changes in the US tariff environment have extended the negotiations.

On September 24, Goyal had said the trade agreement was “done and dusted” and would be implemented once the United States provided India with a competitive advantage over its rivals in the American market.

India faces competition from countries and regions including China, Bangladesh and ASEAN member states in the US market.

The latest comments from Greer indicate that negotiations have moved into the final stretch, while outstanding issues continue to be discussed by officials from both countries.