# US and India Say Trade Deal Is in Final Steps

Washington's ambassador in New Delhi said only the last 1% of a bilateral agreement remained, after a judicial setback briefly delayed the talks.

- Published: 2026-06-30T10:30:40.705Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-06-30/us-and-india-say-trade-deal-is-in-final-steps
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: macro
- Sources: [Deutsche Welle](https://www.dw.com/en/india-news-us-envoy-says-trade-deal-breakthrough-in-sight/live-77764236), [India TV](https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/sergio-gor-claims-india-us-trade-deal-nearing-finish-line-last-1-of-pact-left-to-be-concluded-2026-06-30-1046588)

The United States and India are close to completing a bilateral trade agreement, with US Ambassador Sergio Gor [saying the deal was in its final steps](https://www.dw.com/en/india-news-us-envoy-says-trade-deal-breakthrough-in-sight/live-77764236) and that only the last 1% of the text remained to be settled. Gor made the comments at a US-India business summit, and his Indian counterparts expressed the same optimism.

Negotiators have worked on the agreement for roughly 18 months, [according to Indian reporting](https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/sergio-gor-claims-india-us-trade-deal-nearing-finish-line-last-1-of-pact-left-to-be-concluded-2026-06-30-1046588), and a recent court ruling on US tariff authority briefly slowed the process before high-level talks revived it. Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown from about $20 billion two decades ago to roughly $220 billion, and President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have set a target of $500 billion.

The effort reflects a broader pattern in which trading partners negotiate bilateral arrangements to manage their exposure to Washington's revived tariff regime. For India, a deal would secure access to the US market and deepen a strategic alignment. For Washington, it advances an effort to shift supply chains away from China.

## What this means

A completed US-India agreement would be one of the largest bilateral trade deals of the year and a model for how mid-sized economies adapt to American tariff pressure. It also strengthens an economic counterweight to China at a moment when both Washington and New Delhi are recalibrating ties with Beijing.

## What to watch

- Whether the agreement is signed and what tariff lines and market-access terms it actually contains.
- The pending US legal questions over tariff authority, which could reshape the leverage behind such deals.
- Indian agricultural and dairy provisions, historically the most difficult issues in US-India trade talks.