An Indian delegation has concluded its visit to the United States after holding in-person meetings to finalise details of an interim trade agreement and advance negotiations under the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement on Friday.
A 12-member Indian delegation, led by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, held detailed discussions with the US side, headed by Brendan Lynch.
According to the statement, key areas discussed included market access, non-tariff measures, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, economic security alignment, and digital trade.
India and the US had earlier issued a joint statement on February 7, 2026, agreeing on a framework for an interim agreement focused on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. The framework also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to ongoing negotiations for a comprehensive India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement.
“The meetings were conducted in a constructive and positive spirit, with meaningful and forward-looking discussions enabling progress on key matters. Both sides agreed to remain engaged to maintain this momentum as they move forward,” the Commerce Ministry said.
Under the proposed interim trade deal, the US has reduced tariffs on Indian goods from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. India, in turn, is seeking improved access to American markets, with both countries aiming to expand bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers in Washington that negotiations were progressing, but flagged longstanding sensitivities. “India is a tough nut to crack. They have protected their agricultural markets for a very long time,” Greer told the Committee on Ways and Means of the US Congress.
In August last year, former US President Donald Trump had imposed a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on India, along with an additional 25 per cent penal tariff linked to India’s crude oil purchases from Russia.
However, the US Supreme Court on February 20 struck down the reciprocal tariffs introduced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.