India, U.S. to push for early conclusion of a trade deal

Discussions between the negotiating teams of the U.S. and India on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) in New Delhi were “positive and forward looking”, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said following the talks. It added that the two sides had decided to “intensify efforts” towards an early conclusion of a trade agreement between the two countries.

A team of officials from the office of the United States Trade Representative, led by the Chief Negotiator for the India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations Brendan Lynch, visited India on Tuesday (September 16, 2025).

They held a meeting that lasted about seven hours with Rajesh Agrawal, the Chief Negotiator on the Indian side, and his team.

“Acknowledging the enduring importance of bilateral trade between India and the U.S., the discussions were positive and forward looking covering various aspects of the trade deal,” the statement said. “It was decided to intensify efforts to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement.”

In a separate statement, the U.S. Embassy spokesperson said that Mr. had a “positive meeting” in Delhi with Mr. Agrawal to “discuss next steps in bilateral trade negotiations”.

The Commerce Ministry statement, however, stopped short of disclosing the date of the next formal round of negotiations. The latest official round — the sixth — was to have been held in the last week of August. However, it was called off in light of the rising tensions between India and the U.S. following Washington’s imposition of 50% tariffs on India.

The meeting on Tuesday (September 16, 2025), Mr. Agrawal had clarified on Monday (September 15, 2025), was not an official round of negotiations, but a meeting to discuss how to take the talks forward.

According to sources in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the talks will now continue virtually once the U.S. team reaches their home country.