NEW DELHI, April 11 — India will not be rushed into a trade agreement with the United States or any other nation, even under mounting pressure, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday, asserting that negotiations must prioritize national interest and fairness.
“We never negotiate at gunpoint,” Goyal said, responding to Washington’s move to temporarily pause reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods for 90 days — a window widely interpreted as an opportunity for both sides to conclude a long-pending bilateral trade deal.
Speaking at the Italy-India Business, Science, and Technology Forum, Goyal stated that “time constraints can be motivating” but stressed that India would only enter into agreements that protect the interests of its people. He added that India’s trade discussions with the US, UK, EU, and others were progressing in alignment with its broader development vision, “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, speaking at the Carnegie Global Technology Summit, echoed similar views while outlining the complexities surrounding ongoing trade talks with the United States and other blocs.
“This time around, we are certainly geared up for a very high degree of urgency,” Jaishankar said, referencing U.S. policy shifts since former President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs. “The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to the world, and that has consequences across every domain.”
Calling the U.S. “very ambitious” in its current stance, Jaishankar acknowledged the challenges India faces in sealing a comprehensive deal but expressed readiness to engage constructively. Reflecting on stalled talks during the previous Trump administration, Jaishankar noted that mutual understanding had been lacking. “They have their view of us, and frankly, we have our view of them. The bottom line is that they didn’t get that,” he said.
He also highlighted the slow pace of negotiations with the European Union, describing them as “very protracted” due to years-long communication gaps. On broader global dynamics, Jaishankar underlined that China’s actions, alongside those of the U.S., continue to shape global trade and technology landscapes, reinforcing the need for India to adopt a calibrated and sovereign approach in its economic engagements.
