NEW DELHI: The State Department on Friday termed as “inaccurate” US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that “Prime Minister Modi’s reluctance to call out Trump” was the reason for the delay in the US-India trade deal.”In a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “PM Modi and President Trump have spoken eight times in 2025.”
Responding to a question about Lutnick’s claims in a podcast in which he blamed New Delhi for delaying the US-India trade deal, he said the states had been waiting for this PM ModiFor too long, Jaiswal dismissed the claims as “inaccurate characterizations.”He mentioned the numerous rounds of negotiations between the two countries and how a “close agreement” was reached on several occasions.Also read: Between the stairs and the seesaw; Has Prime Minister Modi’s reluctance to call Trump cost India a trade deal?“We have seen the comments that India and the United States have already committed to a bilateral trade agreement as of February 13, 2025. As both sides have had several rounds of negotiations to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement. On several occasions, we have been close to an agreement. The characterization of these discussions in the reported comments is incorrect,” Jaiswal said.He went on to say that India remains committed to a mutually “beneficial” trade deal and also dismissed Lutnick’s claims. “We remain committed to a mutually beneficial agreement between two complementary economies. Incidentally, Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have spoken eight times in 2025, covering various aspects of our far-reaching partnership,” he said.On the All-In Podcast, hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Lutnick said: “Let’s be clear, it’s his deal. He’s closer. He’s making the deal. So I said you have to have Modi.” Everything is prepared. You have to have Modi… they were uncomfortable doing that.”Also read: “Hug hug na raha” – Congress attacks PM Modi; responds to the stalled India-US trade deal “So Modi didn’t call,” he claimed. This statement comes after the US President on Thursday approved a bill that could impose tariffs of at least 500 percent on countries that buy Russian oil, with the aim of “punishing” them. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the bill would give the U.S. enormous leverage over countries like China, India and Brazil to persuade them to stop buying cheap Russian oil.
