Securing deal in time ‘seems nearly impossible,’ CSIS India chair Rossow says, calls final stages of talks ‘always the most difficult’
Months of intense negotiations appear unlikely to produce a trade deal between the US and India before the August 1 deadline, despite US President Donald Trump having teased one for months as “coming soon”, according to three people familiar with the situation.
One person described the current state of discussions as a “total mess” behind the scenes as Trump and his trade representative, Jameison Greer, continue to push for a pact that would secure greater market access for American produce, dairy, and poultry in India.
“Despite bullish comments by India’s trade minister, securing a deal by August 1 seems nearly impossible”, said Rick Rossow, chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
He said that while “negotiations seemed to move pretty fast in the early days”, the closing stages are “always the most difficult”.
