Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 11:07am on 09 Jan 2026,Friday India Global
A potential India–United States bilateral trade agreement could not be finalised largely because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a direct call to then-US President Donald Trump at a critical stage of negotiations, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick said the deal was “set up” but required leader-level engagement to close, and India’s hesitation meant the window passed while the US concluded agreements with other countries. By the time India returned to pursue the pact, Washington had moved on to other partners and harsher terms, including higher tariff rates. The talks have yet to produce a formal agreement.
