India-US trade talks, to seal interim agreement, begin Feb 23 in US, signing likely in March
The meeting will start on Monday, with the Indian delegation led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry
- Feb 20, 2026,
- Updated Feb 20, 2026 1:11 PM IST
India and the United States will begin a three-day meeting in the US on February 23 to finalise the legal text of their proposed interim trade agreement, marking the next step after both sides agreed on a framework earlier this month.
An official said the joint statement released by the two countries had outlined the contours of the deal. The focus now shifts to translating those contours into a formal legal agreement to be signed by both sides. The pact is expected to be signed in March.
The meeting will start on Monday, with the Indian delegation led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry.
Under the proposed interim trade pact, India and the US will extend duty concessions to each other on a range of traded goods.
In a landmark move on February 7, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump finalised an interim trade framework that slashed the punishing 50% duties on Indian goods down to a strategic 18% reciprocal tariff. This also includes the 25 per cent punitive tariffs imposed on India for purchasing Russian crude oil.
India has committed to eliminating or reducing tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
New Delhi has also agreed to eliminate restrictive import licensing procedures that delay market access for, or impose quantitative restrictions on, American Information and Communication Technology (ICT) goods, apart from addressing long-standing barriers to the trade in US medical devices.
The upcoming round of discussions is aimed at converting the agreed framework into a binding legal document, setting the stage for formal signing next month.
(With inputs from PTI)
India and the United States will begin a three-day meeting in the US on February 23 to finalise the legal text of their proposed interim trade agreement, marking the next step after both sides agreed on a framework earlier this month.
An official said the joint statement released by the two countries had outlined the contours of the deal. The focus now shifts to translating those contours into a formal legal agreement to be signed by both sides. The pact is expected to be signed in March.
The meeting will start on Monday, with the Indian delegation led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry.
Under the proposed interim trade pact, India and the US will extend duty concessions to each other on a range of traded goods.
In a landmark move on February 7, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump finalised an interim trade framework that slashed the punishing 50% duties on Indian goods down to a strategic 18% reciprocal tariff. This also includes the 25 per cent punitive tariffs imposed on India for purchasing Russian crude oil.
India has committed to eliminating or reducing tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
New Delhi has also agreed to eliminate restrictive import licensing procedures that delay market access for, or impose quantitative restrictions on, American Information and Communication Technology (ICT) goods, apart from addressing long-standing barriers to the trade in US medical devices.
The upcoming round of discussions is aimed at converting the agreed framework into a binding legal document, setting the stage for formal signing next month.
(With inputs from PTI)