US-India trade negotiations progress as Trump signals confidence

President Donald Trump said he is confident the United States and India will seal a trade agreement after a week of negotiations in New Delhi (June 1‑5) led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch.

The interim deal under discussion would cut U.S. tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% and remove a separate 25% punitive tariff tied to India’s purchases of Russian oil, while India has pledged to halt those purchases.

At the same time the U.S. Trade Representative has proposed a 12.5% tariff on imports from India and 53 other countries under a Section 301 forced‑labour investigation; public hearings are set for July 7 and the measure is not yet law.

Indian officials are urged to engage in the tariff proceeding while continuing trade negotiations, keeping the two processes separate.