External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday confirmed that India and the United States are currently engaged in trade negotiations, but emphasized that the discussions are still in progress and far from reaching a conclusion. Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Jaishankar highlighted the complexity of the negotiations and urged caution against making early assumptions, according to ANI. He said, “Trade discussions and negotiations between India and the U.S. are ongoing. The teams are actively working on it. These are highly complex and detailed talks. In such negotiations, nothing is finalized until everything is agreed upon. A successful trade agreement must be balanced and benefit both sides. Until that stage is reached, it would be too early to draw any conclusions.”

Jaishankar’s statement coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that India had proposed eliminating tariffs on American products as part of efforts to secure a deal before the current 90-day pause ends. Speaking at an event in Qatar, Trump remarked, “India has offered a deal where they would charge us no tariffs… They used to have the highest tariffs, and now they’re saying zero.”

Earlier, on April 2, Trump had imposed a 26% ‘discounted, reciprocal tariff’ on Indian goods, in contrast to India’s 52% tariff on U.S.-made items. He later announced a 90-day suspension of this tariff on April 9, during which multiple countries, including India, began pursuing trade deals with the U.S. Trump has also previously expressed optimism about reaching trade agreements with India, Japan, and South Korea, stating that talks with India were progressing well.

In a separate development, Trump also claimed he played a role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan. During his address to U.S. troops in Qatar, he mentioned speaking with leaders from both nations, encouraging trade over conflict. “I said, let’s trade instead of going to war. Pakistan appreciated it, India appreciated it, and I think progress is being made,” he said with a slight chuckle, referring to the long history of hostilities between the two countries.

Trump’s comments followed a spike in India-Pakistan tensions after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’—targeted missile strikes on terrorist camps at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including one Nepali national. Pakistan retaliated with intense shelling along the Line of Control. However, on May 10, both sides agreed to a ceasefire and to halt all military operations across the border.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.