The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday has declined claims that India-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations have stalled, adding that discussions have been ongoing and substantive.
Responding to remarks made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated the characterization of the talks was “not accurate”.
Jaiswal further added that India and the United States have been committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since February 13 last year and have held multiple rounds of negotiations aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial deal.
“On several occasions, we have been close to a deal,” he said, adding that India remains keen to conclude an agreement between the two “complementary economies”.
Addressing suggestions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not engage US President Donald Trump during the trade talks, the MEA clarified that the two leaders spoke on eight occasions in 2025, discussing various aspects of the broad India–US partnership.
