India and US say trade deal is nearing 'landing point'

Speaking publicly on 14-15 October 2026, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said long-running trade negotiations between New Delhi and Washington were 'heading towards a landing point', as officials from India's commerce ministry and the office of the US Trade Representative worked to resolve remaining differences. The deal has been under negotiation since 2025 and seeks to address a tariff dispute, cut non-tariff barriers and expand bilateral market access; India has pressed for terms at least as good as those its competitors enjoy in the US market. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier described the talks as having reached a 'plateau', but Jaishankar signalled that an agreement was within reach, saying 'this is an issue which is heading towards a landing point'. The news came as US President Donald Trump separately claimed that South Korea had agreed to invest $50 billion in the Alaska LNG project as part of a bilateral trade pact, part of a broader push by Washington to reshape Asia-Pacific trade in the run-up to the midterms and amid growing Indian unease over US-Russia energy diplomacy.