US-India trade deal talks: Trump praises Narendra Modi while criticising Indian tariffs

US President Donald Trump said the United States expected a trade agreement with India. Trump described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a close associate. Trump made the comments at the Oval Office on Thursday. The remarks came as both countries continued talks on an interim bilateral trade arrangement.

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Trump also criticised India’s tariff policies during the same interaction with reporters. Trump said Indian duties had hurt US companies for years. Trump claimed the United States did not respond with similar charges. Trump linked these tariff concerns to the ongoing trade negotiations.

India US trade deal talks and interim agreement negotiations

A US delegation visited India earlier this week for trade discussions. The delegation completed four days of talks on Thursday. India’s commerce ministry said the dialogue showed cooperation and pragmatism. The ministry added both sides reaffirmed work on a mutually beneficial agreement.

Trump said confidence in a deal was linked to relations with Modi. "We will get to a deal because I like your prime minister a lot. He is a good friend of mine. We get along great, and we are gonna make a deal,\" Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday.

India US trade deal tariffs and Harley-Davidson dispute details

Trump said India had imposed heavy tariffs on American firms. \"They charged tremendous amounts of tariffs to our companies, and we didnt charge them anything,\" Trump said. Trump argued that such differences shaped the trade dispute. Trump said the talks aimed to address these imbalances.

Trump pointed to Harley-Davidson as an example of earlier tariff barriers. \"In the past, they wouldnt let Harley-Davidson sell its motorcycles. They charged a 200 per cent tariff, so Harley-Davidson was precluded. They ended up going to India and building their own plants, which is unfortunate that that happened, but it happens. It was before me,\" Trump said.

Trump compared that case with access for Indian motorcycle brands in the US market. \"They sold motorbikes here, too. You know how much we charged them? Nothing. And now its the exact reverse. Were making a lot of money with India,\" Trump said.

India US trade deal framework, Supreme Court order and tariff changes

On February 7, Trump and Modi spoke by phone. India and the US then issued a joint statement on the first phase. It set the framework for the Bilateral Trade Agreement BTA. The statement also described an interim trade deal.

Under that framework, the US agreed to cut tariffs on India to 18 per cent. The rate was to come down from 50 per cent. The US also removed 25 per cent tariffs tied to India buying Russian oil. It was to reduce the remaining 25 per cent to 18 per cent.

On February 20, the US Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. The tariffs were imposed using the 1977 IEEPA law. After the ruling, Trump announced 10 per cent tariffs on all countries. The measure was set for 150 days from February 24.

India and the US have reworked the trade deal after the court order. The later tariff announcement also affected the talks. Officials have continued discussions around the interim arrangement. The negotiations have stayed focused on strengthening trade and economic ties.

With inputs from PTI