President Donald Trump announced a swift U.S.-India trade deal, cutting tariffs and signaling strong ties with New Delhi, days after India finalized a landmark free trade agreement with Europe.
US President Donald Trump has moved swiftly to reinforce Washington’s close economic relationship with India, announcing a U.S.-India trade deal just days after New Delhi finalized a major free trade agreement with the European Union.
The announcement signals that the United States is keen to remain a central partner for India at a time when global trade alignments are rapidly shifting.
Trump said on Monday that the United States would reduce its main tariff on Indian goods from 25 percent to 18 percent and remove an additional 25 percent tariff imposed last year over India’s purchases of Russian oil. In return, he said India would sharply increase imports of U.S. energy, technology, agricultural, and industrial products and roll back trade barriers for American companies.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said India would buy more than 500 billion dollars worth of U.S. products over time. No official statement detailing the agreement has yet been released.
Markets across Asia responded positively, with analysts calling the deal a strong signal of warming economic ties between Washington and New Delhi.
The agreement follows closely on the heels of the EU-India free trade deal, reached after years of negotiations. Analysts believe Europe’s breakthrough helped push Washington to accelerate its own long-pending talks with India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the agreement, saying reduced tariffs would benefit Indian exports and thanking Trump for his leadership.
Experts say the deal strengthens U.S.-India relations beyond trade, reinforcing India’s role in Western supply chains and highlighting the political rapport between Trump and Modi.
However, economists caution that the full impact will only become clear once details on timelines, market access, and compliance are made public.
For now, the announcement underlines one thing clearly. President Trump is determined to keep the United States closely aligned with India even as Europe steps up its engagement with New Delhi.
