President Trump speaks with PM Modi; US Ambassador Sergio Gor says "stay tuned..."

"President Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. STAY TUNED...," Sergio Gor said in a post on X.

The talks between India and the United States for the Bilateral Trade Agreement have made significant progress, and there are expectations of the deal being finalized soon.

PM Modi had spoken with President Trump in December last year and the two leaders had agreed to work closely to address shared challenges and advance common interests.

During the telephone conversation, the two leaders reviewed the steady progress in India-U.S. bilateral relations and exchanged views on key regional and global developments.

"Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," PM Modi had said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Modi and President Trump reiterated that India and the United States will continue to work closely together to advance global peace, stability, and prosperity.

In Davos on January 21, President Trump had expressed confidence over the India-US BTA, noting that the two countries are "going to have a good deal", while praising PM Modi as a close friend and respected leader.

Trump made this comment following his address at the 56th Annual Summit of the World Economic Forum."I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He's a fantastic man and a friend of mine, and we are going to have a good deal," Trump said when asked about the India-US trade deal by Moneycontrol.

Earlier, India's Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the much-anticipated first tranche of the India-US BTA is "very near", but stopped short of providing a timeline.

The BTA, formally proposed in February following directives from the leadership of both nations, seeks to more than double bilateral trade, from the current USD 191 billion to USD 500 billion by 2030.

Talks were first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in February 2025.

On January 9, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far as far back as of February 13 last year. Since then, two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement."

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had last week praised the India-EU Trade deal saying that India had come out on top with this deal.

"EU is turning to India to try to find a place. The EU is so trade-dependent they need other outlets if they can't keep sending all their stuff to the United States. I've looked at some of the details of the deal so far. I think India comes out on top on this, frankly," he added during his interview with Fox News.

According to Greer, India is set to gain enhanced access to European markets and may also benefit from expanded mobility provisions. He highlighted India's competitive advantage, pointing to its low-cost labour and growing manufacturing base.

"They get more market access into Europe. It sounds like they have some additional immigration rights. I don't know for sure, but President von der Leyen of the EU has talked about mobility for Indian workers into Europe. So, I think on net, India's going to have a heyday with this," he said. (ANI)