India-US Trade Deal Nears Final Stage: USTR Jamieson Greer

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said negotiations on the India-US trade agreement are approaching their final stage, while cautioning that the pact is not yet imminent as both countries work to resolve a limited number of outstanding issues.

Speaking after the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee on Thursday, Greer said the two sides had identified the key areas of disagreement and were working towards resolving them.

He also indicated that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could speak again soon to assess progress.

“I would characterise it, as we say in the US, we're in the short strokes. So, I think we're toward the end of it,” Greer said, according to ANI.

At the same time, he stressed that there was nothing imminent, adding that officials were working diligently on the remaining sticking points.

Officials step up engagement

Greer’s remarks came shortly after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described the proposed agreement as “almost done and dusted”, while saying India was awaiting a competitive tariff advantage over rival exporters before the pact could be finalised.

Greer and Goyal met on the sidelines of the G20 meeting on Wednesday. Greer described their discussions as constructive and said officials from both sides were continuing talks.

Goyal separately called the meeting productive and said discussions focused on an early conclusion of a mutually beneficial interim agreement under the broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

The latest engagement followed a September 30 telephone conversation between Modi and Trump. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the leaders reviewed cooperation in areas including trade, defence, energy and critical technologies and agreed to remain in close contact.

Interim trade framework

India and the US announced a framework for an interim trade agreement on February 7 as part of wider negotiations launched in February 2025.

Under that framework, Washington proposed an 18% reciprocal tariff on originating Indian goods. India, meanwhile, agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on US industrial products and a range of agricultural goods.

Greer’s comments suggest that negotiations have moved closer to a conclusion, but the remaining issues will need to be settled before the interim agreement can be executed.