India and the United States reviewed progress in negotiations for an interim bilateral trade agreement during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announcing that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will visit India next week for further discussions.
In a statement, the MEA said Prime Minister Modi and President Trump expressed satisfaction over the significant progress made in negotiations and directed officials to work towards concluding a balanced, mutually beneficial and commercially meaningful agreement at the earliest.
“The US Trade Representative, Mr Jamieson Greer, will be visiting India next week in this connection,” the ministry said.
The proposed trade pact also figured prominently in discussions between the two leaders during their meeting on Wednesday. President Trump said the two countries were “very close” to finalising a trade agreement.
“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.
The US President also praised Prime Minister Modi’s role in promoting investment in the United States.
“Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States. He’s spending a lot of money in the United States. So we appreciate that job,” Trump said.
Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said Greer’s visit is aimed at finalising the framework for the interim bilateral trade agreement.
“USTR is coming on the evening of June 22. On June 23 and 24, he will be engaging with our Minister for Commerce and Industry. We expect that discussions will be centred around giving final touches to the framework deal and also on the larger BTA that has been under discussion between the two sides,” Agrawal said.
Greer’s visit comes as India continues discussions with the United States on proposed tariff measures under Section 301 proceedings while simultaneously working towards finalising a broader bilateral trade framework agreement.
Agrawal said the proposed trade pact would address a wide range of issues in the bilateral trade relationship.
“As far as the trade deal is concerned, I think the trade deal covers the entire gamut of trade relationship between India and the US. So definitely whenever we finalise and sign the deal, I think they try to have clear answers on the 301 investigations,” he said.
Beyond trade, Prime Minister Modi and President Trump reviewed progress under the India-US COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology), launched following their meeting in Washington, D.C., in February 2025. The two leaders welcomed developments in defence, strategic technologies, energy and bilateral trade cooperation.
According to the MEA, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expanding cooperation across sectors for the mutual benefit of the two countries and their people.
(With ANI inputs)
