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Dismissing rumours of diplomatic friction, United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday (local time) announced that the highly anticipated India-US bilateral trade agreement is on the verge of completion, with negotiators hammering out the final "1 or 2 per cent" of the legal text.
Addressing delegates at the IX US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit 2026, Ambassador Gor delivered a highly optimistic assessment of the relationship, confirming that President Donald Trump remains deeply committed to a "win-win" alignment with New Delhi. The trade pact, which has been in active development for approximately 18 months, faced brief administrative delays due to a recent judicial intervention. However, high-level diplomatic interventions over the past week have pushed it back to the finish line. Addressing the status of the interim trade deal, Gor acknowledged that a recent intervention by the Supreme Court disrupted the initial timeline, but reassured stakeholders that US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Lee Greer's recent two-day visit to New Delhi successfully salvaged the momentum. "That trade deal, we thought, was done until the Supreme Court decided to have another way," Ambassador Gor explained to the summit. "And so we continue to pursue that, and we are very close. Just last week, US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Lee Greer visited us in New Delhi for two days, and we are hopefully in the final steps of this deal. Most of this deal is complete. There are a few items that remain from both sides, but it's in the last 1 or 2 per cent of that deal." Ambassador Gor revealed that the US Mission in India completely outpaced its European counterparts by facilitating a massive $20.5 billion in brand-new investments back into the United States this year alone. "People ask me why this is taking so long? We've been at this trade deal for a year and a half. To put it into perspective, the European trade deal took 20 years. And so no matter what, as long as we beat the European deal, I think we're in good shape." Highlighting the friendly but fierce competition among global US embassies to drive economic capital back home, Gor contrasted New Delhi's monumental success with traditional European outposts. "You have these beautiful embassies in Europe and they come up on stage and they say 'We're proud to announce five hundred million dollars', 'We're proud to announce seven hundred million dollars'," Ambassador Gor stated. "Our embassy in New Delhi, this year, we were very proud to announce that we brought in twenty-point-five billion dollars in new investment." The Ambassador shared personal insights from a private two-hour meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington just prior to the weekend, confirming that the President remains thoroughly invested in the strategic alliance. "He was captivated by what I had seen in India. He has very fond memories of India. His last visit was one of the most remarkable visits that he continues to talk about," Gor noted. "He holds India in a very fond place... And so I look forward to at some point... having the president visit us back in India." Gor outlined that the future framework is built on "unlimited potential" across deep technology corridors, defence integration, and artificial intelligence (AI). "There is not a day that goes by that a new item pops up for the 2 countries (India and US) to work together... Whether that's AI, technology, defense, it's unlimited potential... And I aim to harvest that and to bring the two sides together. And it comes down to that win-win situation," he said. To counter geopolitical sceptics, Ambassador Gor presented concrete financial and military data reflecting unprecedented institutional alignment between Washington and New Delhi. Gor proudly announced that the US Embassy in New Delhi aggressively outpaced global competitors this year, facilitating USD 20.5 billion in brand-new investments flowing directly back into the United States. "The US wants to work hand in hand with India... Our embassy in New Delhi this year, we were very proud to announce that we brought in $20.5 billion in new investments," he added. India continues to export more goods and services to the United States than to any other single nation on earth. On defence cooperation, the United States currently conducts more joint military and defence exercises with India than any other global partner. "So to all those pundits that sit online and tweet and say this relationship is in trouble--when you look at the facts of where this relationship stands, whether it's trade, whether it's defence, whether it's the people-to-people ties, the relationship is on strong footing," Gor asserted. The immediate focus for both administrations now shifts to clearing the remaining legal language to lock in the massive USD 500 billion bilateral trade target originally championed by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)
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