Our Bureau
New Delhi
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday confirmed that trade negotiations between India and the United States are actively underway, but noted that the process remains intricate and far from final.
Emphasising the importance of mutual benefit, he cautioned against premature conclusions.
“Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on, negotiations have been going on. The team is just going at it at this point… These are very complicated negotiations; they are very intricate. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; any trade deal has to work for both the countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature,” Jaishankar said.
His comments come on the same day as US President Donald Trump linked the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire to a shift in focus from conflict to commerce. Addressing American troops at a base in Doha during a Gulf tour, Trump said both New Delhi and Islamabad responded positively to his suggestion to pursue trade instead of hostility.
“I don’t want to say I did, but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile, and all of a sudden, you’ll start seeing missiles of a different type, and we got it settled,” Trump said.
“I hope I don’t walk out of here and two days later find out that it’s not settled, but I think it is settled, and we talked to them about trade. Let’s do trade instead of, and Pakistan was very happy with that, and India was very happy with that, and I think they’re on the way…”
The cessation of hostilities Trump referred to followed heightened tensions after Operation Sindoor, launched by India in the early hours of May 7. The operation targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities on May 10.
Meanwhile, Tommy Pigott, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, highlighted the importance of maintaining peace in the region, following on US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
While addressing a press briefing, Pigott said, “What we are happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to encourage and see direct talks between the parties. Taking a step back, the President is a peacemaker, and we celebrate the advancement of peace. We hope the ceasefire will be maintained.”
