The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said it had been close to a trade deal with the United States on several occasions, and the characterisation by the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about it was "not accurate." MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a media briefing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to US President Donald Trump eight times in 2025 amid strained New Delhi-Washington ties over the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and tariff issues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to US President Donald Trump eight times in 2025 amid strained New Delhi-Washington ties over the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and tariff issues. he said.
VIDEO | Delhi: Responding to a media query about recent remarks by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) says, “We have seen the remarks. India and the US were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far… pic.twitter.com/GDAtKLwNUP
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 9, 2026
The Centre's response followed comments made by Lutnick during an interview on a podcast released on Thursday. In that interview, the US Commerce Secretary claimed that negotiations with India failed to reach a conclusion while Washington moved ahead with trade agreements with other countries.
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