• Source:JND

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held as many as eight telephone conversations in 2025, countering claims that the India-US trade deal was delayed due to lack of direct communication between the two leaders.

The statement came after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that negotiations on the proposed India-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) stalled because Prime Minister Modi did not personally call President Trump to finalise the deal.

Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the characterisation of the negotiations in the reported remarks was “not accurate” and reiterated India’s commitment to a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the United States.

Jaiswal said India and the US had committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as early as February 13, 2025, and since then, multiple rounds of discussions had taken place. He noted that on several occasions, both sides were close to concluding the deal. “We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it,” the MEA spokesperson said, adding that talks were continuing through established diplomatic and institutional channels.

According to the MEA, Prime Minister Modi and President Trump spoke eight times during 2025, covering various aspects of the India-US strategic partnership, including trade, defence cooperation, and global issues.

Rejecting suggestions of any personal discord, Jaiswal said the two leaders shared a friendly relationship and had always interacted with mutual respect, in line with diplomatic norms. He stressed that leadership-level engagement was only one part of a broader negotiating process and should not be viewed in isolation from ongoing official-level discussions.4

What Howard Lutnick Claimed

Howard Lutnick, speaking on the ‘All In’ podcast, had claimed that the India-US trade deal did not materialise because Prime Minister Modi was “uncomfortable” making a direct call to President Trump, which he described as necessary to close what he termed “Trump’s deal”.

Lutnick said the US concluded trade agreements with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, assuming India would finalise its deal earlier. He claimed that when India later expressed readiness, tariff terms had already changed.

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The remarks come amid continuing negotiations between New Delhi and Washington on a bilateral trade agreement, with at least six rounds of talks already held. The proposed pact includes a framework to address tariffs of up to 50 per cent on certain Indian exports to the US. Earlier, President Trump had also remarked that India wanted to “make him happy” on trade, hinting at possible tariff hikes if negotiations did not progress.

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India, however, has maintained that trade discussions are progressing through structured dialogue and that leadership-level engagement has been consistent. With both sides reiterating interest in a deal, officials indicate that negotiations are expected to continue in the coming months as part of the broader India-US economic partnership.


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