- US Ambassador confirmed a call between PM Modi and President Trump amid trade talks
- India-US trade negotiations have been ongoing since early 2025 with recent progress noted
- US tariffs of up to 50% on Indian imports have complicated the trade deal discussions
The United States' Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, on Monday confirmed a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. The telephonic conversation between the two leaders comes amid prolonged trade deal talks between the two countries, which have not resulted in the pact being finalised yet.
In recent days, top Indian ministers, including S Jaishankar and Ashwini Vaishnaw, have visited the US. Gor, while taking charge as the American envoy last month, had underlined that "no partner is more essential than India".
"President Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. Stay tuned," Gor posted on social media platform X.
Last week, NDTV Profit learnt from sources that the India-US trade talks are on track, with "significant progress" made. The two sides have been locked in negotiations since early 2025, but the talks derailed after the US slapped tariffs as high as 50% on Indian imports in August. After a brief pause, the negotiations resumed in October, but the two countries could not reach the finish line.
Representatives of New Delhi and Washington are engaging in "robust negotiations", and remain in regular touch as the discussions continue, the persons privy to the development added.
The Modi-Trump phone call also comes days after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signalled that half of the tariffs imposed on India—25% levies—could be waived as India has significantly trimmed its import of Russian crude oil.
“We put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, and the Indian purchases by their refineries… have collapsed," Bessent told Politico on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos. "I would imagine there is a path to take them off,” he added.
Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said India and the US are working to "quickly" close the trade deal. ""Every free trade agreement stands on its own legs. And we are having very good negotiations. My counterpart in the US and I have a very wonderful working relationship and a wonderful personal friendship. We are working towards closing the deal quickly," he told news agency PTI in an interview.
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