Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, external affairs minister, said he spoke to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
"Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement," he said on social media platform X.
Jaishankar also discussed thoughts on international relations. "Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian sub-continent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia, and the Caribbean," he added in an X post.
This development comes as the country has been negotiating a BTA with the US in order to avoid hefty reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on the so-called "Liberation Day".
Trump has imposed 27 per cent tariffs on all Indian goods. "President Trump will impose an individualised reciprocal higher tariff on the countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits," read a White House fact sheet.
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Good to speak with @SecRubio today. Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Sub-continent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia and the Caribbean. Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement. Look forward to remaining in touch.…
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 7, 2025
On "Liberation Day", April 3, Trump claimed that India imposes a 52 per cent tariff on US goods.
He also imposed steep tariffs on several key trading partners as part of a broader protectionist push. China faced the highest combined rate, with an additional 34 per cent tariff bringing its total effective duty to 54 per cent when including earlier levies. Other countries targeted included the European Union with a 20 per cent tariff, Japan at 24 per cent, and South Korea at 25 per cent.
Southeast Asian exporters were also hit, with Vietnam facing a 46 per cent tariff and Cambodia the highest at 49 per cent. These measures were positioned as efforts to reduce the US trade deficit and bolster American manufacturing.
The commerce department had earlier said that India and the US hope to conclude the first tranche of the trade deal by the fall of this year.
The commerce department is negotiating with the US Trade Representative (USTR) team to formalise a trade deal that covers various sectors.
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Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir has been curbed but "our mission is still not accomplished" as the scourge has not been completely eliminated, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday after meeting the families of 10 police personnel and an engineer who lost their lives in various terror attacks over the past one year.
Shah said significant progress has been achieved under the Modi government in tackling terrorism and ending separatist ideology in the Union Territory.
The minister, who is on a three-day visit to J-K, met the families at Raj Bhavan, paying tributes to the terror victims and expressing gratitude to their families. He also handed over appointment letters to nine nominees on compassionate grounds.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat were among those present on the occasion. Among the families who met the Union minister were the next of kin of four policemen who recently sacrificed their lives in a fierce gunfight with Pakistani terrorists in Kathua district, officials said.
A massive search operation has been underway in the forest area of the district since March 23, when police and other security forces intercepted a group of five terrorists who had infiltrated from across the International Border in the Hiranagar sector.
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Four policemen -- head constable Jagbir Singh and selection grade constables Jaswant Singh, Balvinder Singh and Tariq Hussain -- and two terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight in the district on March 27.
The wives of the slain policemen hailing from Kathua, Jammu and Reasi districts, along with relatives of six other police personnel were present at the event, the officials said.
Ruchi Abrol, wife of engineer Shashi Bhushan Abrol of the Talab Tillo area of Jammu, also met Shah. Abrol was among the seven workers of a construction company killed in a terror attack at Gagangir in Ganderbal district in October last year.
Addressing the families, Shah said for more than three and a half decades, Jammu and Kashmir has suffered the devastating effects of terrorism. “We are proud of the sacrifice of our brave policemen who laid down their lives to protect our country, our homes and our future. Today under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, significant progress has been achieved in tackling terrorism and ending separatist ideology.
“Our mission is still not accomplished because terrorism has been curbed, but it has not been completely eliminated,” he said.
The Home Minister urged the J-K Government to take positive steps for the "compassionate appointment" of 12-year-old Yuvraj Singh, son of martyr Jaswant Singh, upon attaining adulthood (18 years of age).
Shah also paid his respects and gratitude to the family of Abrol, Deputy Manager-cum-/Designer, APCO Construction Company, Gagangir. The minister said no amount of words can take away the pain being felt by the bereaved, but the government's gesture symbolises “our deep gratitude and the government's unwavering commitment to stand with the families of the brave martyrs, just as the loved ones of the martyrs have stood by the nation”.
He urged everyone to "follow the ideals of the martyrs and have an eternal love for duty, honour and ‘Maa Bharti'". “The sacrifice, courage and commitment of the martyrs will always remain etched in our hearts and will continue to inspire us to build the India of their dreams,” he said.
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