India calls Lutnick's remark on pending trade deal with US 'inaccurate'
This story was originally published at 18:40 IST on 9 January 2026
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NEW DELHI – India Friday rejected US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's claim that the country missed signing a trade deal with the US because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Donald Trump. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the portrayal of the discussions between the two sides was "inaccurate".
Responding to a media query at the ministry's weekly press interaction, Jaiswal said that since Feb. 13, India and the US had held multiple rounds of negotiation to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement, coming close to a deal on several occasions. "Incidentally, Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have also spoken on phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership," he said.
The official said India is interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal "between two complementary economies" and looks forward to concluding it.
On proposed legislation in the US threatening to impose 500% tariff on countries trading in oil with Russia, Jaiswal said India is committed to securing affordable energy for its 1.4 billion people and is guided by market dynamics in this endeavour. "We are aware of the proposed bill," the spokesperson said. "We are closely following the developments around the bill. Our position on the larger question of energy sources is well known... we are guided by the evolving dynamics in the global market as also the imperative to secure affordable energy for our 1.4 billion people through diverse sources to meet their energy needs."
Trump has approved the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill that gives him sweeping authority to penalise Russia's trading partners, including India, China, and Brazil, over their purchase of Russian crude oil. The legislation would require the US to impose 500% tariff on goods imported from any country that continues to purchase Russian crude oil, petroleum products, or uranium. End
Reported by Asim Khan
Edited by Rajeev Pai
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