India has firmly rejected remarks by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claiming that the bilateral trade agreement between the two nations didn’t take place because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not personally telephone President Donald Trump to finalise it. In a media briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described Lutnick’s characterization of the negotiations as “not accurate.”
Jaiswal emphasized that India and the US have been engaged in multiple rounds of talks since February 2025, coming close to a deal on several occasions. “India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade agreement,” he added.
During the weekly media briefing, the spokesperson said, “India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as the 13th of February last year. That is, since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to reach a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement. On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate.”
Jaiswal pointed out that Modi and Trump have spoken by phone eight times in 2025 alone, discussing various aspects of the bilateral partnership. He stressed that the two leaders maintain a friendly relationship and communicate with mutual respect, in line with diplomatic norms.
He said, “Incidentally, Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions in 2025, covering various aspects of our wide-ranging. work. work. Incidentally, Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership.”
Jaiswal added, “We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies, and look forward to concluding it.”
Lutnick’s comments came during an appearance on the All-In Podcast on January 8, where he claimed that US was ready to sign the deal after signing Trump administration’s first trade agreement with the UK, but it didn’t place because PM Modi refused to call President Trump. He claimed he urged Indian officials to have Modi call Trump directly to close the deal within a limited window, described as “three Fridays”, and added that India was “uncomfortable” with the request, and the call never happened.
According to Lutnick, the US proceeded to finalize trade agreements with other countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, at less favourable terms under what he called a “staircase” approach to negotiations. He claimed India missed an opportunity for better conditions, leading to the deal’s collapse.
