Washington: Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra met with US Senator Jacky Rosen to discuss expanding bilateral trade in hydrocarbons, exploring cooperation in artificial intelligence, and strengthening counter-terrorism efforts. The meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing trade negotiations between India and the United States.
Kwatra said he had an “engaging conversation” with Senator Rosen, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, Central and South Asia, and Counterterrorism.
“Briefed her on our current trade engagement and the growing bilateral trade in hydrocarbons,” Kwatra shared on social media on Tuesday (local time).
Talks between the two nations have made notable progress, with an official recently stating that a trade deal is “very near.”
At the Berlin Global Dialogue last week, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized that India would not finalize any agreement “in a hurry or with a gun to our head.”
So far, five rounds of negotiations have been completed for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington have faced strain since the Trump administration imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent import duty on crude oil purchases from Russia — measures India has described as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”
