US-India trade deal 99% complete, final talks under way: US envoy Gor

US Ambassador Sergio Gor said negotiators are working through the final technical and legal issues as both sides push to conclude the long-pending trade agreement

Negotiations on the long-pending US-India bilateral trade deal are underway this week, with teams from both sides meeting in New Delhi, and parleys scheduled with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday.  

Almost 99 per cent of the agreement is already in place, and the two sides are working to bridge the final gap, said Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India and Special Presidential Envoy to South and Central Asia, on Wednesday. 

“Just this morning, before I flew out to Mumbai, I met with the trade team that is visiting us right now in New Delhi. Last week, they were in Washington, D.C. This week, we sent our team to New Delhi. Tomorrow (Thursday), they are going to be meeting with Minister Goyal. We are on the last 1 per cent. 99 per cent of this deal is in place. That last per cent we will figure out sooner than later,” Gor said, addressing the Citi Annual India Conference in Mumbai. 

 

Gor also pushed back on criticism that the deal has taken too long, saying the trade deal between India and the European Union took 19 years.  

“In these negotiations, each side has to give something, because that’s what defines a win-win situation. I will say, to India’s credit, you have incredible negotiators. One of the reasons this deal is tough is because, for many years, India held the line on so many items that the United States was not able to get through. That’s why it took 19 years for the European Union to crack that trade deal,” he said, adding that the US is hopeful the last one per cent yet to be finalised will be done soon.  

“We are very hopeful about that last one per cent, and a lot of it is, frankly, technicalities. Part of it is about when something kicks in, and a lot of it is legal language. But we are hopeful that we will get there," he added.  

Additionally, Gor highlighted that the US-India relationship is "without question the most consequential global partnership of the century." He said bilateral merchandise and services trade had grown from $20 billion to $220 billion over the past two decades — an 11-fold increase — and that the relationship was now being driven by innovation and high-value sectors. 

“My vision is to make the US-India relationship the defining strategic partnership of the 21st century and deliver tangible results for people of both of our nations,” he said. 

The ambassador also underscored the personal warmth between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revealing that Trump had called into the embassy's 'Freedom 250' event in New Delhi last week. He also disclosed the contents of a recent phone call between the two leaders. "The president ended the phone call with, 'I hope the people of India realise how lucky they are to have you and the stability of experience that you bring to India,’” Gor said. 

He noted that Modi had maintained ties with Trump even during the four years the latter was out of office. "Not everyone around the world was on the same pathway as your prime minister. Your prime minister not only never criticised the president, he stayed in touch during those four years the president was out. And that's something the president remembers," Gor said. 

Gor also highlighted a series of major American corporate commitments to India, citing Amazon's expected investment of $35 billion into the country by 2030, Microsoft's announced $17.5 billion outlay, including hyperscale Cloud infrastructure, and Google's recently announced $15 billion artificial intelligence (AI) hub. 

On the technology and supply chain front, Gor said the US-India Critical Minerals Framework had been formally signed last week, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.  

“|This is a massive milestone. It will help to ensure the foundational elements required to prevent technology and energy are available within trusted networks," he said. 

Additionally, Gor said American companies often ask whether India is a safe place for their proprietary technology and research, especially after facing repeated theft of intellectual property and research and development (R&D) in other countries, and assured them that India is a country they can trust. 

He also noted that the US currently imports close to 40 per cent of its generic pharmaceuticals from India.  

“That's because we trust this place. That's because we want to work with this place. That's a massive life-saving ingredient to our country,” he said. 

Under the Transforming Relationship Utilising Strategic Technologies (TRUST) initiative launched in February 2025 by Trump and Modi, Gor said the two sides had committed to boosting cooperation on AI development and strengthening trusted supply chains for active pharmaceutical ingredients and critical minerals.