US, India 'pretty close' to trade deal: Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said India and the United States were “pretty close” to finalising a trade deal after more than a year of negotiations. He further added that the agreement “could be a much different kind of deal”.

“They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the prospects of an agreement. His remarks come amid growing optimism on both sides over the long-pending deal, with US secretary of state Marco Rubio also describing it as “incredibly close” during his visit to India.

Rubio and external affairs minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions in Mumbai on Tuesday, reviewing the full scope of India-US relations and committing to an early conclusion of the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

The meeting took place against the backdrop of the US Freedom 250 Reception hosted by US ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Mumbai. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said that the discussions covered key strategic sectors, including trade, defence, technology and energy security.

"They welcomed the progress made in negotiations on the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and reaffirmed their commitment to working towards its early conclusion," the MEA stated.