India, U.S. Resume Trade Talks as Goyal Heads to Washington

India’s Trade Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Washington today, September 22, to push forward a long-pending trade deal, following renewed talks last week. “The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement,” an official statement said. On September 16, U.S. Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch met Indian officials led by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal in New Delhi. Talks were described as “positive” and “forward-looking” after President Trump softened his stance following punitive tariffs on Indian goods over Russian oil purchases. However, it remains unclear whether India will address contentious issues such as visa fee hikes, pressure to curb Russian oil imports, or U.S. demands to open its agriculture and dairy sectors. Last month, Trump imposed a 25% levy on Indian imports from August 27, doubling tariffs to 50% as part of Washington’s pressure campaign on Moscow.