“The South Asian nation is focused on engaging to ensure it secures the best deal in terms of competitive advantage compared to peers,” says Piyush Goyal
New Delhi continues to hold talks with Washington on trade and is observing the situation on President Donald Trump's tariffs, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday (February 27, 2026)
The South Asian nation is focused on engaging to ensure it secures the best deal in terms of competitive advantage compared to peers, he told broadcaster CNN-News18.
Mr. Goyal discussed trade and economic partnership with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick over lunch in New Delhi on Thursday (February 26, 2026), a meeting that came as a surprise as Mr. Lutnick’s private visit to India had not been publicised.
Earlier this week, Mr. Trump warned countries against backing away from recently negotiated trade deals with the U.S. after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs and weakened his legal authority to impose sweeping global tariffs.
Since the order, Mr. Trump has announced a temporary 10% duty on all nations, including India, and promised to raise it to 15% - the maximum allowed under the statute he has resorted to.
The path forward for Mr. Trump’s foreign trade deals remained uncertain, with China urging Washington to scrap tariff measures, the E.U. freeze on its approval, and India delaying planned talks.
Mr. Goyal said he would not put a timeline on completing trade deals. New Delhi and Washington had previously planned to sign a legal agreement in March.
India had delayed plans to send a trade delegation to Washington last week, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariffs. Before the ruling, both countries had agreed on a framework for Washington to cut tariffs on India to 18% from 50% - a rate that previously included a 25% punitive tariff for New Delhi’s Russian oil purchases.