With key elements of the India–US trade agreement still not formally disclosed, both governments are expected to issue a joint statement next week that will clarify the contours of the deal, according to sources familiar with the matter. The long-awaited announcement is likely to dispel the secrecy that has surrounded the agreement ever since US President Donald Trump unilaterally declared that a trade deal with India had been finalised and that tariffs had been cut from 50 per cent to 18 per cent.
The absence of any reference to such a deal in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public remarks and social media posts had fuelled confusion and drawn criticism from Opposition parties, who questioned whether an agreement had actually been concluded. This ambiguity is expected to be addressed when senior members of Trump’s team travel to India next week, paving the way for a coordinated statement from both sides.
Sources indicated that once the joint statement is released, the detailed provisions of the trade pact will be made public. Negotiations on the agreement reportedly stretched over nearly a year and coincided with a period when India–US relations were said to have touched a low point, underscoring the political sensitivity surrounding the talks.
Significantly, Indian officials have maintained that several politically and economically sensitive sectors have been protected. Agriculture, dairy, and fisheries—long regarded as red lines for New Delhi—are said to have been kept out of the concessions, a factor that is believed to have contributed to the prolonged and difficult negotiations.
Sources also suggested that personal and diplomatic dynamics played a role in the delay. In particular, it has been noted that Prime Minister Modi did not make a direct outreach to Trump last year to personally seal the agreement, something that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick alluded to in remarks made last month. All these aspects, officials said, are expected to become clearer once the joint statement is issued and the full text of the trade deal is finally placed in the public domain.
