New Delhi, Oct 22 — External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said the proposed India-US trade deal is in its “last mile” but cautioned that nothing is final until it is formally concluded.
Speaking at a session during the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar noted that both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal have also indicated that the agreement is in its final stages.
“What you’ve heard not just from Secretary Rubio, but from Minister Piyush Goyal, from others, from me, is that we are moving towards it,” he said.
However, the External Affairs Minister struck a note of caution, remarking, “Well, look, it’s never done till it’s done.”
He acknowledged that the concluding phase of negotiations often brings its own set of difficulties.
“Often the last mile or the penultimate miles do pose their challenges. I think the [negotiating] teams are working through them now,” EAM Jaishankar said.
When asked to elaborate on the specific issues that remain unresolved, the minister declined to go into details.
“If you’re asking me to tell you what exactly those challenges are, I’m sorry I won’t. That’s for the negotiators to sort out,” he added.
EAM Jaishankar’s remarks come amid heightened expectations around the long-pending trade agreement between the two countries.
The deal has been under discussion for several years and is seen as a significant step in strengthening economic ties between India and the United States. The NDTV World Summit provided a platform for the External Affairs Minister to share the government’s perspective on key foreign policy and economic issues.
His comments on the India-US trade deal were among the highlights of the session, drawing attention to the ongoing diplomatic and commercial engagement between New Delhi and Washington.
The remarks of the external affairs minister are significant against the backdrop of a recent meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio.
The US State Department said the two leaders discussed regional and global issues, including developments in West Asia.
“The secretary reiterated that increased energy trade with the United States can play a transformative role in diversifying India’s supply chains while meeting its sizable consumer demand,” the department said.
Rubio also commended progress in bilateral defence and civil nuclear cooperation and advocated greater purchase of US technologies and systems.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was present at the meeting, described the discussions as “productive” and said they focused on deepening cooperation across defence, energy, emerging technologies and trade, as both countries continue to build momentum in their partnership.