New Delhi: India on Friday described as inaccurate US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s remarks that the trade deal between the two countries could not fructify, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call up President Donald Trump.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and the US held a series of negotiations on the deal, and that New Delhi is committed to firming it up.
“We have seen the remarks. India and the US were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as far back as February 13 last year,” he said.
Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiation to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement, he said.
“On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate,” Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
He was responding to questions on Lutnick’s remarks.
“We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it,” Jaiswal said.
“Incidentally, Prime Minister (Modi) and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership,” he added.
