US, Nov 14 : The United States has indicated significant progress in ongoing trade negotiations with India, with a senior administration official describing “a lot of positive developments” in recent engagements between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the official said Washington is pursuing a reciprocal trade agreement with New Delhi while simultaneously addressing concerns over India’s imports of Russian oil.
“I think we’ve had a lot of positive developments with them recently,” the official said, adding that the discussions could yield outcomes “before the end of the year.” The US has observed “market improvement” on the Russian oil issue, the official told ANI, noting that despite progress, “there’s still a lot to do.”
The US is currently managing two parallel tracks with India:
Reciprocal trade negotiations aimed at balancing tariffs and market access.
Concerns regarding India’s Russian oil purchases, which Washington continues to monitor.
The remarks came on the same day the White House announced preliminary trade agreements with four Latin American nations Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador and Guatemala offering tariff reductions on goods not grown domestically in the US.
Washington has also intensified its trade outreach across multiple regions, with “constructive conversations” underway with countries in Central and South America, and recent joint statements issued with Vietnam and Indonesia. The official also pointed to progress with Switzerland, highlighting the Trump administration’s emphasis on bilateral trade deals over multilateral frameworks.
The trade discussions come as Sergio Gor, a close associate of US President Donald Trump, begins his tenure as US Ambassador to India. At Gor’s swearing-in ceremony, Trump suggested that tariff reductions on Indian imports could be imminent, signalling fresh momentum toward a trade breakthrough.
A reciprocal trade agreement between the world’s largest and fifth-largest economies could address several longstanding issues, including:
US concerns over high Indian tariffs on American agricultural goods and motorcycles
India’s push for restored preferential trade status and expanded access to US markets
Intellectual property and technology transfer rules
Greater services-sector access for Indian IT professionals
The acknowledgment of progress marks a shift after years of inconsistent negotiations, often stalled by disagreements over data localisation, e-commerce rules, and tariff structures.
Neither the Ministry of Commerce nor the Ministry of External Affairs in India had commented on the US official’s remarks at the time of publication.
Bilateral trade between India and the US reached approximately USD 190 billion in 2024, with both nations aiming to further expand economic ties.