US Delegation to Visit India Next Week for Trade Talks as Year-End Tariff Framework Sought

Overview

• Sources say a US team is expected in New Delhi next week, marking the second visit by American negotiators since the tariff measures took effect.
• Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said India remains hopeful of finalising a framework this year to ease the tariff burden on exporters.
• Talks are proceeding on two tracks, with a near-term framework to tackle tariffs and a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement advancing separately after six rounds.
• Reporting describes US trade actions as a 25% tariff plus an additional 25% penalty linked to India’s Russian crude purchases, with October exports to the US down 8.58% to $6.3 billion.
• The broader pact targets $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 from about $191 billion, as the US remains India’s largest trading partner at $131.84 billion in 2024–25.