India-US trade deal nearing finish line, bulk of issues resolved: Jaishankar

India and the US have resolved most outstanding issues in their proposed trade agreement, including tariff lines, and could finalise the deal soon, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, Jaishankar said negotiations had reached their final stage, with discussions continuing to address the remaining differences.

“Well, it's certainly our hope, and in many ways anticipation, that we are at the last stretch. That's not a secret,” he said.

Jaishankar said most concerns had been addressed and that several of the remaining issues required changes from the American side.

“The hope is that we should close it out soon. It's always the case that in that last period, everybody's impatient,” he said.

The remarks come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to the US for the G20 summit in Miami on December 14 and 15. The meeting could provide an opportunity for PM Modi and US President Donald Trump to review bilateral ties and progress on the trade agreement.

Jaishankar said India was seeking a balanced deal that would give its goods a comparative advantage over those of competing economies.

“For us the key is that we want a trade deal which is beneficial, it is balanced and which would give us a comparative advantage over groups of comparable economies,” he said.

He added that negotiations had involved detailed discussions on individual tariff lines.

“If you are serious, you go tariff line by tariff line. That takes time. Now we've done it the painstaking way,” he said.

India and the US have been negotiating the proposed agreement since early 2025. The deal aims to address tariff disputes, remove non-tariff barriers and improve market access.

Jaishankar described the US as India's biggest market and said an agreement with the world's largest economy would benefit both countries.