'Final Stages': India Says Interim Trade Agreement With US Nearing Completion

India and the United States are nearing the conclusion of an interim bilateral trade agreement, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday stating that negotiations have reached the final stage. His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held discussions on trade on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France.

Addressing a press conference, Misri said, “With the United States, we have made significant progress already on the conclusion of an interim bilateral trade agreement. We are in the final stages of concluding that agreement,” and added that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is scheduled to visit India next week to carry the talks forward.

FS Vikram Misri on India US Trade Deal:

We are in

the final stages of concluding that agreement. Next week in fact the United States trade representative Mr Jamieson Greer will be visiting India to take forward these discussions. pic.twitter.com/bVdjFBpDJt

— Shalinder Wangu (@Wangu_News18) June 18, 2026

According to Misri, the proposed pact featured prominently during the meeting between PM Modi and Trump, with both leaders asking officials to speed up the process of finalising the agreement.

His comments followed Trump’s assertion that Washington and New Delhi were “very close” to completing the much-awaited deal. Speaking to reporters after meeting Modi, the US President described the Indian Prime Minister as “one of the toughest” negotiators and noted that discussions had been underway for quite some time.

“We had, in particular, some very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi, India. And we’re doing trade deals, we’re doing a lot of things, a lot of things are happening between the United States and India,” Trump said.

Trump also lauded PM Modi’s efforts to encourage investments in the US, saying, “The Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States. He’s spending a lot of money in the United States.”

India and the US had arrived at an interim understanding on trade in February after almost a year of negotiations and are now engaged in efforts to agree.

Misri further noted that the deal had led to uncertainty between the two countries. “There are ups and downs in relations between nations; the leaders of both nations deal with them,” Misri said, according to Reuters.

India-UK FTA From July 15

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the implementation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) from July 15, describing it as a “historic milestone” in ties between the two countries and a significant boost to trade and investment.

In a post on X, PM Modi said the agreement would strengthen economic cooperation between India and the United Kingdom and open up opportunities in several important sectors. “This agreement will significantly boost our bilateral trade and investment,” he said.

The development followed British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron’s confirmation that the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would come into force on July 15. She termed it a landmark step in the economic partnership between the two nations.

Signed in July 2025 after nearly three years of negotiations, the trade pact has now reached its implementation stage. It is expected to improve market access, expand bilateral trade and facilitate higher investment flows between India and the UK.