A team from India is currently in the U.S. to discuss issues relating to tariffs, according to Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal. However, due to the ongoing shutdown in the U.S. government, it is not “the right time” to hold the next official round of negotiations on a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), he said.
Mr. Agrawal, currently still the Chief Negotiator for India on the BTA, further said that India would be “very happy” to increase its energy imports from the U.S.
The U.S. government is currently undergoing a ‘shutdown’ as it has not been able to enact the required funding legislation for the current financial year in that country.
Also Read: Mixed signals: On India-U.S. talks
“Our negotiating team is in the U.S. and is trying to see if we can have a win-win solution between the two sides that can address some of the tariff issues,” Mr. Agrawal said during a press briefing on Wednesday (October 15, 2025). “There is already a discussion going on and there is always a hope of arriving at a solution.”
