Trade Talks Progressing: Goyal

Talks between India and the US on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) are progressing in a positive atmosphere, and both sides are satisfied with the progress made so far," the commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Thursday.

- Mukesh Jagota

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had instructed the trade ministers of both countries to conclude the first tranche by the fall or November of 2025. Since March this year, the talks have been going on with all seriousness," he said at a press conference in Patna.

In the first round of talks in March, both sides had finalized the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the BTA, and in all five rounds of formal negotiations had already taken place. The sixth round of talks that were to commence from August 25 got postponed as the US doubled the tariffs to 50%, half of it for buying crude oil from Russia.