The delegation will be led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch.
The two parties are “expected to finalize the specifics of the interim agreement and proceed with negotiations under the broader BTA covering various aspects like market access, non-tariff measures, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, and economic security alignment,” the statement read.
On February 7, India and the US released a joint statement outlining the framework for the first phase of the BTA or interim trade agreement. Both nations now need to finalize the legal text of the agreement.
This framework reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the broader India-US BTA negotiations.
As part of this framework, the US agreed to lower tariffs on India from 50% to 18%. It also lifted the 25% tariffs on Indian goods intended for purchasing Russian oil, with plans to decrease the remaining tariffs across the board from 25% to 18% under the agreement.
However, on February 20, the US Supreme Court overturned President Donald Trump’s extensive reciprocal tariffs, which had been established under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Following this, the US President announced a 10% tariff on all countries for a duration of 150 days, starting from February 24.
Due to these developments, a planned meeting between India and US chief negotiators in February was postponed. The two sides convened in Washington last month, during which the Indian team, led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, visited the US from April 20-23, 2026.
“To continue the discussions, the US team led by the Chief Negotiator will travel to India from June 1-4, 2026,” the ministry reported.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal remarked that the significant potential for mutual collaboration “and the inherent complementarity of the economies of both nations will render the forthcoming deal beneficial for all stakeholders.”
In light of the shifting tariff landscape in the US, both sides may consider re-evaluating the agreement framework.
As per the agreed framework, India has proposed removing or reducing tariffs on all US industrial goods and a broad selection of US agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional items.
New Delhi has also indicated plans to acquire $500 billion worth of US energy products, aircraft and components, precious metals, technology goods, and coking coal over the next five years.
The upcoming June meeting is crucial, as India holds a comparative advantage over its competitors. With all US trading partners facing a uniform 10% tariff, the agreement necessitates recalibration.
Moreover, in March, the US Trade Representative (USTR) launched two unilateral investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 against several nations, including India, related to excess capacity and the failure to eliminate forced labor in global supply chains.
India has firmly rejected the allegations made by the US Trade Representative in these investigations and has called for the initiation of the probes, as the initiation notice has not presented a clear justification for the claims.
Recently, US Ambassador Sergio Gor expressed optimism that the United States would finalize the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India in the coming months.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in India last week on a four-day visit.
On Tuesday, the two countries solidified a key framework for cooperation aimed at ensuring steady supplies of critical minerals, addressing rising concerns about China’s export controls on rare earth elements and strategic metals that are essential for global technology supply chains.
The framework on securing the mining and processing of critical minerals was signed on the sidelines of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
In 2025-26, the US was India’s second-largest trading partner. India’s exports to the US saw a modest increase of 0.92%, reaching $87.3 billion during the last fiscal year, while imports rose by 15.95%, totaling $52.9 billion. The trade surplus diminished to $34.4 billion in 2025-26 compared to $40.89 billion in 2024-25.
