Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there had been “significant progress” in negotiations with Washington for a long-awaited interim trade agreement following his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains. The meeting marked the first face-to-face engagement between the two leaders since their previous talks in Washington in February 2025.
According to a statement from India’s foreign ministry, both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made in discussions aimed at an interim bilateral trade deal. Trump told reporters that the two countries were “very close” to finalising an agreement, praising Modi while describing him as a tough negotiator.
The statement added that the leaders directed their teams to accelerate efforts toward a “commercially meaningful agreement” at the earliest possible time. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is scheduled to visit India next week for another round of negotiations, as both sides seek to resolve outstanding issues related to tariffs and market access.
Washington and New Delhi have set an ambitious target of expanding bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. However, talks have faced delays following disputes over tariffs, after earlier US measures were struck down by the US Supreme Court, prompting fresh investigations into trade practices.
The discussions also come amid broader geopolitical concerns, with India urging stability in global energy markets and highlighting disruptions in fuel and food supply chains linked to regional conflicts, which continue to affect economies across the Global South.
Officials in both India and United States said the talks remain focused on resolving structural trade barriers while maintaining momentum after months of uncertainty. Analysts say the outcome of the upcoming negotiations in New Delhi could determine the pace of future economic cooperation between the two largest democracies as diplomatic engagement between both sides continues steadily forward.