Negotiating trade deal, says MEA as Trump's tariff deadline nears

With US President Donald Trump reiterating his threat to impose reciprocal tariffs from April 2, India on Friday said the two countries are engaged in negotiations to build a framework to address issues such as levies and market access.

- Rezaul H Laskar

NEW DELHI:

The response from the external affairs ministry came two days after Trump said he planned to go ahead with reciprocal tariffs on India next month -- a move that could hit Indian exports. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two sides are engaged in a conversation and "hopefully will come to some sort of understanding".

The Indian side is speaking to the US administration at various levels to finalise a mutually beneficial multisector trade deal, Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing.

He didn't respond directly to queries on whether India expects a waiver on the reciprocal tariffs expected to kick in on April 2.