'99% Complete': Envoy Sergio Gor Says India-US Trade Deal To Be Finalised Over 'Next Several Weeks'

US Ambassador Sergio Gor said that India-US trade deal was “99 per cent complete” and is likely to be finalised over the “next several weeks.”

The US Ambassador to India, who also serves as Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, said both sides were trying to resolve the remaining “1 per cent” sticking points.

Gor’s remark came as top negotiators from India and the US began a three-day round of talks in New Delhi on Tuesday to finalise the details of the proposed interim trade agreement.

Speaking at Citi’s 2026 India Conference in Mumbai, he said America has lower tariffs for India than any of its neighbours and insisted Washington values its relationship with New Delhi.

“And so that is something that this relationship is valued, that the (US)

trade team that is right now negotiating on that. Once that trade deal is finalised…the interim trade deal was there in place. It is that 1 per cent that we are trying to get across the finish line. So the leaders can have a signing and put that in stone and in law,” Gor said at the conference.

The youngest US Ambassador to India emphasised the trade deal is very close to be finalized.

“And so we are very hopeful that that will get accomplished over the next weeks, several weeks, but it’s not going to be years. We are very close to getting that done,” the US envoy said.

Asked further about the deal and the “1 per cent sticking points”, Gor insisted there are a few items that are under discussion.

“Each side has to give you something, right? Because if that’s what identify you win-win situations. And so I will say, to India’s credit, you have incredible negotiators. And one of the reasons (why) this deal is tough, because for many years, that India held the line on so many items that the United States was not able to get in here. That’s why it took 19 years for the European Union and cracked that trade deal (with India). So we are optimistic,” he said.

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The Ambassador noted that when US President Donald Trump was not in office from January 2021 to January 2025 after his first term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi still stayed in touch with him during those four years, highlighting their deep personal bond.

“Your prime minister normally never criticises the president. He (PM Modi) has stayed in touch during those four years when the president (Trump) was out (of office). And that’s something that the president remembers,” Gor told the gathering.

Further highlighting the friendship between the two leaders, he said, “It is easy to see today (that) some leaders, some leaders from the Europe that show up to the Oval Office …everyone of them wants to be president’s best friend. But it matters when you are down on who your true friend is. That’s what the president appreciates about Prime Minister Modi.”

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recently said India and the US have finalised most elements of the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, and negotiations are now focused on a few minor issues, “commas and full stops”.

(With PTI inputs)