India–US trade deal signing 'very soon'; tariff rebalancing to 18% also to move forward shortly, says Sergio Gor

India–US trade deal signing 'very soon'; tariff rebalancing to 18% also to move forward shortly, says Sergio Gor

• India-US trade agreement signing expected very soon
• Tariff rebalancing to 18 percent will proceed shortly
• Interim trade deal likely operational by April

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The signing of the India–United States trade agreement will take place “very soon”, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on February 20. The envoy also indicated that Washington’s tariff rebalancing measures to 18 percent involving India would move forward shortly, emphasising that the process would not be driven by a single executive order.

Speaking at a select media briefing, Gor suggested that both governments were approaching the final signing of the trade.

Trade deal signing

Responding to a question on the timeline for signing the India–US trade agreement, Gor pointed to continued engagement between negotiating teams and said the process was nearing closure.

“The reality is there's tens of thousands of points. We're not dealing with a small country. This is one of the biggest economies. And so, we're thrilled that the interim deal is done. We have a few tweaking points that are left to do, but it's done. So, the signing will happen soon,” Gor said.

He added that discussions between officials from both sides were actively progressing.

“I think we have a great relationship. I think it comes down to multiple things. The first thing is the great friendship between our president and your prime minister. The signing will happen very soon. In fact, even this week, we have both teams talking to each other and actively getting to a place where both will be able to sign,” Gor said.

Tariff reduction to 18%

Gor also addressed questions relating to tariff adjustments, including discussions referenced during the briefing around duties being reduced to 18 percent. The ambassador stressed that any rebalancing measures would involve multiple policy mechanisms.

“On the tariffs being rebalanced, there's multiple things. There are multiple mechanisms. It's not one executive order. It's not just one piece of paper. It's multiple things, multiple departments, multiple areas. And so that will also happen very soon,” Gor said.

Separately, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on February 20 that the interim trade deal between India and the United States would likely be operationalised in April.

The India–US trade discussions have remained a key focus of bilateral economic engagement.