Indo-us Ties

'US optimistic about progress in trade talks with India; deal a priority'

The United States is very optimistic about the progress of trade negotiations with India, and a bilateral trade deal remains a priority for the Trump administration, State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. Pigott was responding to a question by PTI during a roundtable interaction organised by the New York Foreign Press Centre with a select group of international journalists on Thursday. "On trade, we have been very optimistic about the progress of trade talks," he said. Noting the recent visit to India by officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Pigott also underscored the role played by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in advancing trade and investment ties between the two countries. "He has also made this trade issue really important", most notably through these trade discussions, but also through bilateral investments between the two countries, including millions of dollars worth of SelectUSA investments, Pigott said. SelectUSA is a .

US hails 'robust' partnership with India, highlights Trump-Modi bond

The US said its strategic partnership with India remains robust and that President Donald Trump's invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Washington is a "testament" to the "great relationship" between the two leaders as well as the growing ties between the two countries. State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Thursday said the strong ties between the two countries were on full display during Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent visit to India. "We have a robust strategic partnership with India... That was on full display during that trip, and there were real deliverables that were discussed there, including on critical minerals, including on technology," he said. Pigott was responding to a question by PTI on Rubio's visit to India during a roundtable interaction organised by the New York Foreign Press Centre with a select group of international journalists. Rubio visited Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi from May 23 to 26 and participated in the Quad Foreig

US Ambassador Sergio Gor meets Anand Mahindra, discusses investments in US

US Ambassador said that in addition to government-to-government engagement, the US private sector has made significant commitments in India

India, US sign MoU to secure critical minerals, rare earths supply chains

The framework is designed to deepen comprehensive cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain

Marco Rubio visits Saint Teresa's Mother House, children's home in Kolkata

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday for his four-day diplomatic tour to India, with the city marking the opening leg of a visit that carries considerable political and historical resonance. His arrival in the eastern metropolis ended a 14-year hiatus since an American secretary of state last visited the city, coming only weeks after West Bengal witnessed a landmark political transition with a BJP-led government assuming office. In a post on X, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, "Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!" Rubio became the first US secretary of state to set foot in Kolkata since Hillary Clinton visited the city in May 2012. Although the US Department of State was yet to publish Rubio's Kolkata itinerary, sources in the US ...

US seeks to boost energy exports to India as Iran war disrupts supplies

India is struggling with an energy crisis caused by the nearly three-month-long war against Iran that the US and Israel launched in late February

US State Secy Marco Rubio to visit India from May 23-26 ahead of Quad meet

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will undertake a four-day visit to India beginning May 23 to further cooperation in the fields of trade, defence and energy. The Department of State announced the visit that would take Rubio to Kolkata, Agrat, Jaipur and New Delhi. "Secretary Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. The Secretary will discuss energy, security, trade, and defence cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials, Pigott said. Rubio will travel to India from Sweden, where he will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on May 22. India is set to host a meeting of Quad foreign ministers next week that is expected to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including the fallout of the West Asia crisis. The New Delhi meeting is planned for May 26, and it is scheduled to be attended by Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign .

India's economic transformation post 2014 anchor point of US ties: Kwatra

India's economic transformation since 2014 has been the anchor point of its expanding engagement with the US, Indian envoy to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra said here. Addressing the Capitol Hill Summit 2026 organised by the US-India Friendship Council here on Monday, Kwatra said the passage of the SHANTI Act has unlocked opportunities for private sector collaboration in the civil nuclear power domain. "One of the drivers, I must point out, is a set of transformational journeys that are currently taking place in India," he said, addressing the conference that was attended by US lawmakers, including Ro Khanna, Deborah Ross, Tim Moore and Senator Steve Daines. Kwatra said India and the US had set a target to increase bilateral trade from approximately USD 220 billion annually to USD 500 billion by 2030. He said defence and security cooperation was one of the fastest-growing pillars of the India-US partnership, and New Delhi was the largest user of some American platforms outside the ...

US approves possible sale of Apache helicopter support services to India

The US has approved the possible sale of support services and related equipment for Apache helicopters to India for an estimated cost of USD 198.2 billion, the US Department of State said. The Department of State also approved a possible sale of sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers for an estimated cost of USD 230 million. The principal contractors for the Apache support services deal will be the Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin, the State Department said. For the howitzers support, the principal contractor will be BAE Systems, located in Cumbria, UK. The Department of State said India has requested to buy AH-64E Apache sustainment support services; US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; technical data and publications; personnel training; and other related elements of logistics and program support. India had also requested to buy long-term sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers. The following non-major

US official urges India-US tech cooperation avoiding adversarial dependence

India and the US must be guided by the principles of openness and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations to fully realise the potential of areas such as artificial intelligence, a senior US official said here on Friday. Addressing the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison said the US wants to make sure that countries in the region have access to world-class technology and get that integrated into society to deliver the best value and results for their people. "But in order to fully realise the benefits of this incredible technology, we must be guided by the principles of openness, as well as focus on our security and our interoperability, and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations," Morrison said at the event organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, ORF America and the Motwani Jadeja Foundation. She said the private sector has already invested more than USD 300 billion in the development of AI .

Quantum, nuclear, AI next key areas of India-US cooperation: Vinay Kwatra

Quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and nuclear science are among the next frontier areas of cooperation for India and the US, India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra has said. Speaking at an interactive session at the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum here on Friday, Kwatra flagged nuclear fusion as an area of cooperation between the two countries, in addition to the conventional fission technologies used in civil nuclear power projects across the world. India and the US are part of the international nuclear fusion research experiment to build a fusion reactor near Cadarache in France. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has the European Union and eight countries, including the US, Russia, India and China as members. "I would even single out nuclear here because there are parts of nuclear which are of course old and established, but there are parts which are emerging, nuclear fusion in particular," Kwatra said at the forum organised

Chronology of US tariffs and penalties on Indian goods since April 2025

The following is the chronology of additional or reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods in addition to existing duties, since April 2025. Before Apr 2, 2025: Only MFN (most favoured nation) tariffs. These are standard import duties imposed on goods from all trading partners on a non-discriminatory basis. Apr 2 - August 6, 2025: 26 per cent (10 per cent baseline tariff and 16 per cent reciprocal tariff). It was over and above MFN duties. Apr 9, 2025: US suspends tariffs for 90 days (until July 9, 2025). July 31, 2025: The US announced a 25 per cent duty to be effective from August 7, 2025. Aug 6, 2025: Additional 25 pc tariff imposed on Indian goods for the purchase of Russian oil. To be effective from August 27. Aug 7- Aug 26, 2025: 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs, over and above MFN duties. Aug 27, 2025 - Feb 6, 2026: 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods Feb 7 - Feb 23, 2026: Russia-linked 25 per cent tariffs withdrawn. A joint India-US statement indicated Washingto

Indian investments in US rise to $16.4 bn, support 70,800 jobs: Official

Foreign direct investment from India to the United States was approximately USD 16.4 billion, which supported about 70,800 jobs, a senior US official said. Addressing a CII India Reception on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbour in Maryland on Monday evening, US Deputy Undersecretary (Policy and International Trade Administration) in the Department of Commerce, Brandon Remington, said Indian firms also spent USD 330 million on research and development in America. "We are pleased to welcome your investment from India. According to available cumulative data, the total stock of foreign direct investment from India to the United States was approximately USD 16.4 billion, which supported approximately 70,800 jobs, USD 313 million in research and development spending and USD 1.5 billion worth of exports," Remington said, without any reference to the period under review. A CII report released in 2023 had pegged Indian investments in the US in the range of US

US returns over 650 antiquities valued at nearly $14 million to India

The US has returned 657 antiquities collectively valued at nearly USD 14 million to India, saying there is "more work to be done" to return stolen artifacts to the country. The return was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday. The pieces were recovered following several investigations into trafficking networks, including those related to disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. The pieces were returned at an event attended by Consul Rajlakshmi Kadam from the Consulate General of India in New York. "The scale of the trafficking networks that targeted cultural heritage in India is massive, as demonstrated by the return of more than 600 pieces today," Bragg said in a statement. "There is unfortunately more work to be done to return stolen artifacts back to India, and I thank our team for their persistent efforts." Consul General of India in New York, Binaya Pradhan, appreciated the sustained cooperation of the Manhattan Dist

Indian envoy Kwatra meets US energy secretary, discusses energy partnership

India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and discussed the energy partnership between the two countries. Kwatra received Wright and his wife Liz at the India House here. "Honoured to host @SecretaryWright and Mrs. Wright at India House. Productive conversation on a range of subjects including the India-US energy partnership," Kwatra said in a post on X. The US is keen to cooperate with India on civil nuclear cooperation in addition to other areas, such as coal gasification and US LPG exports. India has increased its energy imports from the US over the past year amid trade pact negotiations with Washington. India is the largest buyer of US coal globally with coking coal contributing 40 per cent of the total 20 million tonnes (mt) of coal imported by New Delhi from the US in FY25. Earlier this week, GAIL (India) Limited flagged off an LNG vessel from a US terminal, signalling deeper India-US cooperation in securing cleaner fuel

India 'tough nut to crack' on trade, says USTR Greer after latest talks

India is a "tough nut to crack", US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said here as a delegation from New Delhi wrapped up negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement with Washington. The 12-member delegation, led by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, held talks on the fine print of the trade deal with the US team led by Brendan Lynch, Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia. The three-day talks concluded on Wednesday. "India is a tough nut to crack... they've protected their agricultural markets for a very long time," Greer told the Committee on Ways and Means of the US Congress on Wednesday. "As part of this deal, they want to protect a lot of that. There are things, though, where I think we can find mutual agreement. DDGs (distillers dried grains) is a good example of this," he said. Greer was responding to questions by lawmakers on exports of DDGs, which are used as high-protein livestock feed, soybean meal and ethanol. The USTR said the US

Indian envoy meets US Trade Representative amid ongoing talks on trade deal

Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien here. The meeting on Wednesday comes as India and the US are negotiating the finer elements of a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). A delegation of Indian officials is expected to visit the US to hold discussions on the bilateral trade agreement. "Honored to host Amb. Jamieson Greer and Amb. Robert O'Brien at India House today," Kwatra said in a post on X on Wednesday. In February, India and the US announced finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. According to that framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on India to 18 per cent. "We had productive conversation on a range of bilateral cooperation opportunities. Also discussed important developments across the world. Appreciate their strong and continuing support for strong India-US ties," Kwatra said. Bilateral trade was part of the discussion d

India, US to boost cooperation in AI, critical minerals under Pax Silica

India and the US on Thursday agreed to further their cooperation under Pax Silica and broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals. The issues figured during discussions Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had here with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob S Helberg. "Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a productive meeting with the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg @UnderSecE. They agreed to take forward cooperation under Pax Silica and the broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. India formally joined Pax Silica on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in February, marking a significant step in technology cooperation between New Delhi and Washington. Pax Silica brings strategic partnerships and coordinated action across every layer of the supply chain. Misri is on a three-day visit to the US to review the ...

Foreign Secretary Misri reviews defence, trade ties with US officials

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met senior US defence official Michael Duffey and discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between the two countries. Misri, who is on a three-day visit here, had a "fruitful interaction" with Duffey, the Under Secretary in the Department of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Pentagon near here. "Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had a fruitful interaction with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment Mike Duffey @USDASDuffey at the Pentagon," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. "The two principals discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between India and the US, in line with the ambitious goals laid out in the Framework for the bilateral Major Defence Partnership signed last year," the embassy said. Misri also met under secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt in the Department of ...

India joins US-led Pax Silica initiative to bolster AI, mineral security

India has joined the US-led Pax Silica initiative, expanding cooperation on AI, critical minerals and resilient supply chains as part of a broader effort to strengthen economic security