Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The United States has attributed the failure to finalise a long pending trade agreement with India to the absence of direct communication between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump. The assertion was made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a recent episode of the All In Podcast.
Lutnick claimed that the framework of the India US trade deal had largely been negotiated and was awaiting final political closure, which, according to him, required a leader level conversation. He stated that President Trump personally closes trade deals and expected a direct call from Prime Minister Modi to seal the agreement.
That outreach, Lutnick said, never came, as New Delhi was reportedly uncomfortable initiating the call. As a result, the window for the deal closed and Washington moved ahead with agreements with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam .
Adding to the tension, Donald Trump has recently made pointed remarks about Prime Minister Modi and India’s trade posture. Trump said that Modi was not particularly happy with him over issues such as US tariffs on Indian goods and India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
He also warned that India could face even higher tariffs if trade imbalances and strategic differences were not addressed .
Trump has repeatedly criticised India’s tariff regime, describing it as unfair to American businesses, even as he has simultaneously spoken of a strong personal relationship with Modi. These mixed signals have reflected the broader uncertainty surrounding the future of India US trade relations.
The stalled trade deal now stands as a reminder that despite strong strategic and geopolitical cooperation, economic agreements remain vulnerable to political signalling and leadership level engagement. For now, the prospects of reviving the deal appear uncertain amid rising tariff threats and sharpening rhetoric from Washington.
