TNI Bureau: India dismissed as “inaccurate” the claim made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that the proposed India–US trade agreement failed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not hold direct talks with US President Donald Trump.

Responding to the remarks, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and the United States have been engaged in negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement since February 13, 2025. He said several rounds of discussions have taken place with the aim of reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial deal, and on multiple occasions the two sides were close to finalising the agreement.

“The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate,” Jaiswal said during a media briefing in New Delhi. He added that India continues to remain interested in concluding a mutually beneficial trade agreement with the US.

The MEA spokesperson also clarified that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump spoke over the phone eight times in 2025, during which they discussed various aspects of the wide-ranging India–US partnership. He said the two leaders share a friendly relationship and have always engaged with each other with mutual respect, in keeping with diplomatic norms.