The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rejected remarks by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding the stalled India–US trade deal, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump spoke several times last year.
“PM Modi, Trump spoke on phone on eight occasions in 2025,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterization of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate.”
India-US Trade Talks Ongoing Since February
Jaiswal said India and the United States have been committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since February 13 last year, according to ANI. He noted that since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of discussions aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade pact.
The MEA spokesperson added that India remains interested in a mutually beneficial agreement between what he described as two complementary economies and is looking forward to finalising the deal.
What Lutnick Said
Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a trade agreement between India and the United States did not materialise because Prime Minister Modi did not call President Trump.
Speaking to American venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya on the All-In Podcast on Thursday (local time), Lutnick said that while contracts had been negotiated and the overall framework was ready, finalisation required direct engagement between the leaders.
“I would negotiate the contracts and set the whole deal up, but let’s be clear. It’s his (Trump’s) deal. He’s the closer. He does it. It’s all set up, you got to have Modi, call the President. They were uncomfortable doing it. So Modi didn’t call. That Friday left, in the next week we did Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, we announced a whole bunch of deals,” Lutnick said.
‘Staircase’ Approach To Trade Deals
Lutnick also outlined what he described as Trump’s “staircase” approach to trade negotiations, under which countries that moved early secured more favourable terms, while those entering talks later faced progressively higher rates.
Referring to the first trade agreement with the United Kingdom, he said Trump was repeatedly asked which country would follow next, with India being publicly mentioned on several occasions.
Deadlines And Missed Window
According to Lutnick, India was given “three Fridays” to finalise the agreement, placing it on what he described as a “short clock”. He said India did not meet the deadline, leading the US to move ahead with trade agreements with other Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
He added that those deals were struck at higher rates, as the US had initially expected India’s agreement to be concluded earlier. When India approached the US around three weeks later to proceed, Lutnick said, it was told that the window had already closed.
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