US Ambassador Sergio Gor said he is highly confident a landmark bilateral trade agreement between the United States and India will be finalised in the coming weeks and months. Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce Annual Leadership Summit in New Delhi, Gor described the negotiations as driven by a clear economic vision to expand opportunities for American businesses and workers.
Gor said the current interim trade agreement is ready to be finalised and that the broader pact is being designed to lower operational barriers, expand market access and give businesses on both sides greater certainty. “We look forward to completing the details of a new bilateral trade agreement that will expand market access, reduce barriers, and create greater certainty for businesses on both sides,” he said, adding that the deal could strengthen supply chains, catalyse investment and support inclusive growth.
The ambassador pointed to a fast-moving diplomatic calendar intended to push the talks to the finish line. He noted recent reciprocal visits: an Indian delegation traveled to Washington last month to work on the interim pact, and a U.S. delegation is expected to visit India next month to advance technical and political discussions.
Gor acknowledged the complexity of the negotiations but said their pace is rapid compared with other lengthy trade talks, citing the EU-India talks that spanned nearly 19 years. He reiterated confidence the U.S.-India deal will be concluded shortly.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal echoed that timeline, saying an American delegation will visit India next month for critical bilateral trade talks. Goyal said the chief U.S. negotiator will not travel with incoming U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his visit, but there are plans for negotiators to come the following month. Rubio is scheduled to begin a four-day visit to India on May 23 to discuss cooperation on trade, defence and energy.
The current momentum follows a joint India-U.S. statement on February 7 that established the framework for an interim trade arrangement. Progress was complicated, however, after a U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down reciprocal tariff measures that had been a central negotiating tool. In response, U.S. authorities imposed a 10 percent auxiliary duty on all inbound goods under Section 122 of the Trade Act for a 150-day period starting February 24. They also launched investigations under Section 301 into exporters over excess capacity and labour practices.
Section 122 allows emergency tariffs up to a 15 percent cap for a maximum of 150 days, while Section 301 can permit duties without a fixed ceiling if an inquiry finds a trading partner’s policies are harming U.S. commercial interests. New Delhi has submitted comprehensive responses to both probes, and officials on both sides continue consultative talks to resolve outstanding issues and secure a final agreement.
The India-EU free trade agreement, signed in January 2026 after negotiations that began in 2007, was cited by Gor as an example of how protracted such talks can be, underscoring the relative speed of the current U.S.-India process. Delegations and technical teams from both countries are scheduled to hold further rounds of meetings in the coming weeks as they work to finalise the interim arrangement and advance the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement.
