Indian External Affairs Minister responds to Trump-era tariffs, highlights ongoing efforts to secure a strategic trade agreement
New Delhi – In response to the ongoing debate over US-imposed tariffs, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar stated that India is actively negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the United States, with a goal to conclude it by fall 2025. Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, the EAM emphasized that India has maintained a consistent and constructive strategy towards US trade engagement, reported timesofoman.com.
Jaishankar: India is the only country to reach a mutual trade understanding with the Trump administration since his second term began
When questioned about the impact of US tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, Jaishankar noted that it was “not possible to quantify the impact” yet but reiterated India’s focus on productive engagement. “Our strategy is pretty clear,” he said. “We decided to engage early with the Trump administration… What we agreed to do was to try and negotiate a bilateral trade agreement by the fall of this year.”
He further asserted, “To the best of my knowledge, I think we are the only country, since President Trump resumed the presidency the second time, which has actually reached such an understanding in principle.”
Highlighting the uniqueness of India’s approach, Jaishankar noted that other tariff-affected countries are formulating their own strategies, but India’s approach has a focused objective — securing a bilateral trade pact that had long been in the pipeline. “This is not a reactionary step for us,” he said. “We were working on this even during Trump’s first term.”
Jaishankar credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US for injecting new momentum into the discussions. “We’ve had more discussions with the Americans in the last six weeks than I suspect we’ve had with the Europeans in the last two years,” he noted.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Trump made headlines with his remarks at the National Republican Congressional Committee, stating that countries affected by US tariffs were desperate to make deals. Referring to his aggressive trade tactics, Trump said, “They are dying to make a deal—‘Please sir, I’ll do anything.’”
The US President’s comments were largely aimed at countries like China, but India’s approach appears to reflect strategic diplomacy amid rising trade tensions. India’s continued pursuit of a mutually beneficial agreement underscores the importance New Delhi places on long-term trade partnerships with Washington.
