Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump have told their teams to speed up trade talks. U.S. Trade Representative heads to India next week to try and push discussions forward. This urgency follows their recent G7 chat in Evian, where they stressed need for “some kind of certainty” in trade, according to Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary .
Misri said meeting atmosphere was positive,noting it was first time the leaders met in 16 months . Modi hadn’t been to U.S. since February 2025,and Trump hadn’t visited India during that time. Trade deal became critical topic,showing ongoing worries about trade uncertainties from past year.
“All important issues on the minds of two leaders were discussed,” Misri said in Paris. He confirmed Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, will meet India’s commerce minister next week to advance talks. Previous tensions, like U.S.'s 50% tariffs on Indian exports last year, complicate the agreement .
Though a trade framework was announced in February, negotiations hit a wall over tariffs and market access. Misri noted ups and downs in their relationship, hinting both nations must tackle these challenges .
Asked why Pakistan and cross-border terrorism weren't discussed,Misri said their brief meeting wasn't set up for deep talks on those. India’s stance on such issues is well-known to U.S. officials .
Besides trade, Misri mentioned the recent Iran-U.S . peace deal,saying India is ready to help foster lasting stability in West Asia. The Iran-U.S. memo aims to halt hostilities and open the Strait of Hormuz,though Israel has concerns.
“It's natural to have concerns about something concluded, but we don’t yet know how it’ll play out,” Misri remarked . He hoped the deal would bring sustained peace to region.
India stands ready to aid next steps. “We have strong ties with all countries in region,” he said, stressing India’s commitment to engage with Iran and Israel as needed.
Misri ended by saying India wants conflicting parties to set a clear path. “Now that we're at start of such a journey, if we can help through our engagement, we would be ready to do that,” he added. But how will it all unfold...?
