US-India trade deal 99% done, last-mile talks this week: US Ambassador Gor

US Ambassador Sergio Gor says 99 per cent of the bilateral trade pact is in place, with negotiators working to resolve final technical and legal issues during talks in New Delhi

Negotiations on the long-pending US-India bilateral trade deal are underway this week, with trade teams from both sides meeting in New Delhi, and a meeting scheduled with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday. Ninety-nine per cent of the agreement is already in place, and the two sides are working to bridge the final gap, Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India and Special Presidential Envoy to South and Central Asia, said 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 DC. This week, we sent our team to New Delhi. Tomorrow, 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 had 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 was hopeful the last 1 per cent yet to be finalised would be done soon.

 

“We are very hopeful about that last 1 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 the 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 his 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 hub.

 

On the technology and supply chain front, Gor said the US-India Critical Minerals Framework had been formally signed last week, alongside US 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 asked whether India was a safe place for their proprietary technology and research, especially after facing repeated theft of intellectual property and R&D in other countries, and assured them that India was a country they could 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 TRUST (Transforming Relationship Utilising Strategic Technologies) initiative launched in February 2025 by Trump and Modi, Gor said the two sides had committed to boosting cooperation on artificial intelligence development and strengthening trusted supply chains for active pharmaceutical ingredients and critical minerals.