Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has reaffirmed that India will not rush into trade agreements under pressure or artificial deadlines, even as negotiations progress on the proposed India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
Speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue in Germany on Friday, Goyal said, “We are talking to the US, but we do not do deals in a hurry and we do not do deals with deadlines or with a gun to our head.”
His remarks come amid reports that India’s continued purchase of Russian oil remains a key sticking point in the negotiations. The US has imposed 50% tariffs on several Indian goods, with half attributed to India’s oil imports from Russia. Washington has maintained pressure on New Delhi to reduce these purchases, with President Donald Trumprecently claiming that India agreed to bring them down to “almost nothing” by the year-end.
Goyal, however, struck a confident tone, asserting that India would not yield to external pressure. “India looks long-term. We never take decisions in a rush or under pressure. If there’s a tariff, we’ll overcome it. We’re exploring new markets and building domestic demand to strengthen our resilience,” he said.
Officials close to the talks indicated that the BTA is nearing completion, with legal texts being finalized and only a few diplomatic issues—such as Russian oil—remaining. Other contentious topics include US demands for market access to genetically modified soya and corn and tariff reductions on agricultural imports.
Goyal emphasized that India’s foreign policy and trade decisions are guided solely by national interest. “It’s unacceptable if someone tells us who we can or cannot be friends with,” he said, adding that even Germany and the UKhave sought exemptions on Russian oil, so “India should not be singled out.”
Negotiators recently returned from Washington after what officials described as fruitful discussions, with further talks continuing virtually. “We are very close to concluding the deal, and no new issues are acting as hurdles,” an official confirmed.
