India-US Close to Finalizing BTA, Says Trump; Farmers Warn of Resistance

October

2026

US President Donald Trump on 19 Oct said India and the US were ‘pretty close’ to finalizing a trade deal after more than a year of negotiations. He added that the agreement ‘could be a much different kind of deal’. He said, ‘They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah.’ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also described the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) as ‘incredibly close’ during his recent India visit. On 21 Oct, Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions in Mumbai, reviewing the full scope of India-US relations and committing to an early conclusion of the proposed BTA. The Ministry of External Affairs said, ‘They welcomed the progress made in negotiations on the India–US BTA and reaffirmed their commitment to working towards its early conclusion.’ On the US’ earlier decision to target countries importing Russian oil with up to 100% tariffs and whether it could affect economic ties, Rubio said, ‘I mean, it can…None of these tariffs are done to punish or to harm India.’ Speaking on the US administration’s visa restrictions, he said, ‘We are trying to fix 20 years of neglect of an immigration system that was simply not being enforced, and that’s not targeted at India.’ Allaying Indian concerns on the Trump administration’s relations with Pakistan’s generals, Rubio added, ‘What everyone should be assured of in India is that our relationship, not just with Pakistan but with any country in the world, will never come at the expense of other relationships. We don’t view it that way in our relationship with India.’ Meanwhile, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) warned of ‘militant resistance’ from farmers if the Bharatiya Janata Party government proceeded with the proposed India-US trade deal, alleging that concessions to the US would threaten agriculture in India and lead to greater corporate consolidation in the sector. AIKS urged the government to reject the proposed BTA, arguing that farmers would be unable to compete with ‘heavily subsidized’ American agricultural producers. Samyukt Kisan Morcha (United Farmers Front) has also termed the BTA a ‘death warrant’ for farmers. In Panjab, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and other farmer unions have been protesting against the proposed BTA since August (earlier coverage).