Overview
- Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Rick Switzer is leading a high-level delegation for meetings with Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi.
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says negotiations are progressing toward a bilateral trade agreement and indicates he may meet the visiting U.S. team.
- Talks are proceeding on two tracks, with a framework to address reciprocal tariffs alongside a broader comprehensive pact, after six rounds and a slipped first‑tranche timeline.
- Key hurdles include President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods, linked in part to Russian crude purchases, and U.S. demands for market access to row crops, meats, and biofuels.
- Chief negotiators Brendan Lynch for the U.S. and Darpan Jain for India are engaged, as both sides keep the 2030 Mission 500 goal of roughly $500 billion in trade in focus after recent export declines.