WASHINGTON, June 30: U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said Monday that the long-awaited India-U.S. bilateral trade agreement is nearing completion, with negotiators working through the final “1 or 2 percent” of the legal text.
Speaking at the IX U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit 2026, Gor dismissed speculation of diplomatic tensions and expressed confidence that President Donald Trump remains committed to strengthening economic ties with India through a mutually beneficial agreement.
The trade pact, under negotiation for approximately 18 months, experienced temporary delays following a recent U.S. Supreme Court intervention. However, Gor said recent high-level diplomatic engagement has put the agreement back on track.
“That trade deal, we thought, was done until the Supreme Court decided to have another way,” Gor said. “And so we continue to pursue that, and we are very close. Just last week, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Lee Greer visited us in New Delhi for two days, and we are hopefully in the final steps of this deal. Most of this deal is complete. There are a few items that remain from both sides, but it’s in the last 1 or 2 percent of that deal.”
Gor noted that while some have questioned the pace of negotiations, trade agreements of this scale typically require considerable time.
“People ask me why this is taking so long. We’ve been at this trade deal for a year and a half. To put it into perspective, the European trade deal took 20 years. And so no matter what, as long as we beat the European deal, I think we’re in good shape,” he said.
The ambassador also highlighted the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi’s role in attracting investment, saying it had facilitated $20.5 billion in new investments into the United States this year.
“You have these beautiful embassies in Europe, and they come up on stage and they say, ‘We’re proud to announce $500 million,’ ‘We’re proud to announce $700 million,'” Gor said. “Our embassy in New Delhi, this year, we were very proud to announce that we brought in $20.5 billion in new investment.”
Gor also shared details of a recent two-hour meeting with President Trump, saying the president remains deeply interested in strengthening ties with India.
“He was captivated by what I had seen in India. He has very fond memories of India. His last visit was one of the most remarkable visits that he continues to talk about,” Gor said. “He holds India in a very fond place. And so I look forward to, at some point, having the president visit us back in India.”
Looking ahead, Gor said India and the United States have significant opportunities to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence, advanced technology, and defense.
“There is not a day that goes by that a new item pops up for the two countries to work together. Whether that’s AI, technology, defense, it’s unlimited potential. And I aim to harvest that and to bring the two sides together. And it comes down to that win-win situation,” he said.
Reiterating the strength of bilateral ties, Gor pointed to expanding trade, defense cooperation, and people-to-people connections.
“The U.S. wants to work hand in hand with India. Our embassy in New Delhi this year, we were very proud to announce that we brought in $20.5 billion in new investments,” he said.
India remains the largest export destination for U.S. goods and services among individual trading partners, while the United States conducts more joint military exercises with India than with any other country.
“So to all those pundits that sit online and tweet and say this relationship is in trouble—when you look at the facts of where this relationship stands, whether it’s trade, whether it’s defense, whether it’s the people-to-people ties, the relationship is on strong footing,” Gor said.
Both governments are now focused on finalizing the remaining legal provisions of the agreement as they work toward the long-term goal of achieving $500 billion in bilateral trade, a target championed by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)
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