US-India trade deal: The key sticking points
Key takeaways
- Both India and the US have signaled that the first phase of a landmark trade deal is close.
- The reasons lie in familiar fault lines in global trade — market access, tariffs and a negotiation where neither side can afford to appear to have blinked first.
- Relations between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump have become strained since they first announced negotiations for a trade deal in February 2025.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Both India and the US have signaled that the first phase of a landmark trade deal is close. DW looks at the main challenges in getting a deal past the finish line.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GFZWIndia and the US are very close to finalizing a trade deal that has been in the making for months Image: Kevin Lamarque/REUTERSAdvertisement India and the United States have made substantial progress toward signing a landmark bilateral trade agreement, but following multiple rounds of talks there has been no significant breakthrough.
The reasons lie in familiar fault lines in global trade — market access, tariffs and a negotiation where neither side can afford to appear to have blinked first.