However, he warned that any ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan could derail such negotiations. “And I wouldn’t have any interest in making a deal with either if they were going to be at war with each other,” he said.
Also Read: India, US may agree on interim trade deal by June 25: Sources
His comments came amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, following India’s May 10 ‘Operation Sindoor’ — a counterstrike in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
In parallel, the United States has announced worldwide tariffs, which could now apply to Pakistani exports due to its $3 billion trade surplus with the US. Pakistani goods could be subjected to tariffs of up to 29%.
Amid these developments, Indian Union minister Piyush Goyal recently visited Washington to push forward bilateral trade negotiations. Both nations are aiming to conclude an interim deal by early July. This comes in the backdrop of a looming 26% tariff on Indian exports to the US.
The ministry of external affairs has confirmed that India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the United States from May 27 to 29. The Indian Embassy called his meeting with US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau a “great first meeting” that addressed a broad range of shared priorities between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported last week that India is likely to open up its government procurement market to American companies. The expected move would allow US firms to bid for contracts worth over $50 billion, largely from federal agencies, as part of the ongoing trade discussions with Washington.
Earlier, Trump had again claimed that US trade discussions with both India and Pakistan helped prevent a nuclear disaster. “We talk trade, and we say we can’t trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons… They understood and they agreed, and that all stopped,” Trump said.
Also Read: We can’t trade with countries firing missiles’: Trump again claims credit for avoiding ‘nuclear disaster’
“I think the deal I’m most proud of is the fact that we’re dealing with India, we’re dealing with Pakistan, and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed to bullets. You know, normally they do it through bullets. We do it through trade. So I’m very proud of that. Nobody talks about it. But we had a very nasty potential war going on between Pakistan and India. And now, if you look, they’re doing fine,” he added.
