With less than two weeks left before the crucial July 9 deadline, both sides are working enthusiastically to finalize a bilateral trade agreement.
Washington, June 30, 2025: In a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt praised India as an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. She also highlighted the strong personal relationship that US President Donald Trump has with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Responding to a question on how the US views China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, she said:
“India is a very important strategic partner in the Asia-Pacific region. President Trump has a very close relationship with Modi, and that will continue in the future.”
In the same context, she made these statements in response to a question asked by ANI about the ongoing trade talks between India and the US.
“The President recently said [that the India-US trade deal will be completed soon]. That is true. I have spoken to our Commerce Secretary about it. He is in the Oval Office with the President right now. The final presentation of the deals is underway. There will be a formal announcement from the President and his team on India shortly,” Leavitt said.
These comments can be seen as a continuation of Trump’s recent comments.
“A comprehensive trade deal with India is in the final stages. Right now we don’t have full freedom to go there and do business there. We want to completely eliminate trade restrictions. It will not be easy. But I am confident that we will come to an understanding…” Trump explained.
With the crucial July 9 deadline approaching, India and US officials are working hard to finalize a bilateral trade deal during the 90-day hiatus on reciprocal tariffs.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is currently in the US. He is here to attend the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meeting and on Monday inaugurated an exhibition at the United Nations titled “The Human Cost of Terrorism”. It is set up to draw global attention to state-sponsored terrorism.
QUAD is a strategic partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the US. The partnership aims to create a free, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The grouping’s origins date back to the joint humanitarian response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004.
It is also known that on June 18, Indian Prime Minister Modi invited Trump to the QUAD summit to be held in New Delhi later this year. The two spoke on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed the details of the conversation: “Prime Minister Modi invited President Trump on the sidelines of the QUAD meeting. He not only accepted the invitation but also expressed his keenness to attend the upcoming summit in India,” Misri said in a video message.