Lutnick: Modi Needed to Call Trump to Close India-US Trade Deal
Lutnick: Modi Needed to Call Trump to Close India-US Trade Deal
Howard Lutnick says Modi's call could have sealed a near-final India-US trade pact, spotlighting how personal diplomacy shapes tariff talks.
India and the United States have been jockeying over a trade pact for months, with both sides pressing to seal a deal. India has stood firm on sensitive issues such as dairy and agriculture, while Washington has signaled it is prepared to move swiftly on tariffs and other concessions. In conversations that have circulated in policy circles, it’s been suggested that the pact was ready to go, but progress stalled because Modi did not pick up the phone to close it.
Lutnick on a popular podcast insisted that the closer is the president and that Modi’s call was the missing piece. The implication is that personal diplomacy could be the difference between a near-final agreement and a set of unresolved issues. The talks come after the White House approved a bill allowing sanctions as high as 500 percent on countries buying Russian crude, a development that has fed speculation about how India’s oil purchases from Russia influence the negotiation dynamics.
On the Indian side, red lines around dairy, agriculture, and other sensitive sectors remain a barrier, while the US has reportedly linked concessions to broader market access and technology rules. The trace: last year, trade talks faltered and Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, with a 25 percent tariff in retaliation for Indian oil purchases.
What happens next remains unclear. Some analysts say the deal could still be salvaged if Modi and Trump pick up the line, while others warn the gap may reflect deeper strategic tensions. For now, the narrative centers on whether personal outreach can unlock a negotiation that has stretched for months.
