New Delhi: The United States is on the verge of finalising a landmark trade accord with India, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Bethany Poulos Morrison said on Tuesday, ANI reported.
“Looking at trade, in February 2026, we announced the intention to finally conclude the historic trade deal. We are very, very close,” Morrison told attendees at an event, stressing that the agreement would provide American exporters access to India’s 1.4 billion-strong market on terms that both sides find fair.
“This is going to open India’s market of 1.4 billion to America’s goods on terms that are reciprocal and mutually beneficial. The administration is driving towards the goal of Mission 500, 500 billion in trade by 2030, with a real sense of urgency,” she said, linking the negotiations to broader US aims to boost bilateral commerce to $500 billion by 2030.
Morrison pointed to last year’s trade figures as evidence of growing momentum between the two economies. “We raised bilateral trade for goods to 149 billion. That’s more than a 20 million increase from 2024. US exports to India alone rose by 9.8 per cent,” she noted, calling 2025 a watershed year for India‑US trade.
She also highlighted increasing investment ties, saying Indian businesses were stepping up interest in the United States. “We had SelectUSA, where we saw 20 billion dollars of new US investment into the United States from India. 1.1 billion in immediate investment,” Morrison said.
The comments came as US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and India’s Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met in New Delhi to push forward talks on an Interim Agreement originally launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.
The US Embassy in India posted on X that it continues to pursue a fair and reciprocal trade deal designed to open markets for American exporters and yield benefits for both nations. The statement said the high-level discussions at Vanijya Bhawan covered progress on the interim arrangement as well as negotiations on a broader bilateral trade framework.
Ambassador Greer was accompanied by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and a senior trade delegation for the talks. The embassy’s post read, “USTradeRep Jamieson Greer and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met in New Delhi today to advance negotiations on the Interim Agreement launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. The United States remains focused on securing a fair, reciprocal trade deal that opens markets for American exporters and delivers benefits to both nations.”
Goyal received the visiting US officials at the Department of Commerce, welcoming the delegation — including Ambassador Gor — and expressing optimism about the trajectory of the negotiations.
