Piyush Goyal rejects reports of India-US trade deadlock, says talks in final stages
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Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed reports claiming that negotiations on the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) had stalled, calling them "completely false, baseless and misleading".
Goyal was responding to a Reuters report that claimed India had rejected a fast-tracked trade pact with the United States and was holding out for a better deal.
In a post on X, the minister said negotiations between the two countries remain active and are in the final stages.
Referring to the visit of US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to New Delhi in June, Goyal said he had "wonderful talks" with the US official and that both sides had reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a balanced and commercially meaningful agreement.
"Both sides reiterated their commitment to an agreement that is balanced, commercially significant, and provides real benefits for businesses, farmers, workers and consumers in both countries," Goyal said, adding that negotiating teams remain fully engaged in achieving the objective.
Earlier this month, Goyal had said the negotiations had reached the final stage, with most key issues resolved and both countries working towards an agreement that would benefit India.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal has also said there are no major challenges in the trade negotiations. Briefing the media on June 2026 trade data, he said discussions were progressing within a structured framework after Indian officials visited the US in May and an American delegation visited India in June.
Agarwal acknowledged that US tariff actions had created uncertainty for several trading partners but said India-US trade discussions were continuing and making good progress.