May 24, 2026, 4:48 p.mMay 24, 2026, 4:48 p.m
After the differences with India over US customs policy, the USA is confident that it will be able to conclude a long-awaited trade agreement in a timely manner. “We have made enormous progress,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after political talks with his Indian colleague Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi. He assumes that an agreement will ultimately be reached that is beneficial for both sides and does justice to the national interests of both countries.
Marco Rubio was in India for negotiations.Image: keystone
Rubio did not give a specific time frame for the completion of negotiations. A US delegation will soon arrive in India, said the minister.
Significant partner
India is an important strategic partner for the USA. However, the relationship was severely strained by the US’s imposition of punitive tariffs on India during US President Donald Trump’s second term in office. In February, Trump canceled the punitive tariffs with which he wanted to indirectly weaken Russia’s billion-dollar oil trade.
The two sides also published the framework for an interim trade agreement that includes a reduction in additional US import tariffs on Indian goods from 25 percent to 18 percent. At times, the USA had imposed tariffs of 50 percent on imports from India, including the 25 percent tariff on trade between the world’s most populous country and Russia.
Rubio defended the tariff policy against criticism. Trump didn’t say, “Let’s find a way to cause friction with India over trade.” The minister said he had not visited any country where there were no trade problems. Rubio is attending a foreign ministers’ meeting of the Quad Security Dialogue in New Delhi on Tuesday. One goal of the group, which includes the United States, India, Australia and Japan, is to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. (hkl/sda/dpa)