India-US trade deal nears finishing line

Indian negotiators are preparing to open up sensitive sectors, including automobiles and agriculture

- Dhirendra Kumar

India and the US are racing to finalize a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement, with the American negotiating team expected to arrive in New Delhi next week for what could be the final round of face-to-face discussions, a senior Indian official said.

Both sides are aiming to close the deal by the last week of June, before the 90-day pause on the US's reciprocal tariffs ends on 8 July—a deadline that has added urgency to the negotiations.

The breakthrough followed months of quiet shuttle diplomacy and two earlier rounds of in-person meetings led by Indian officials and one round of in-person discussion by a US delegation in March.