‘Trend lines of India-US bilateral ties very positive’: Jaishankar expresses hope for successful trade deal

WASHINGTON: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has hailed the relationship between India and the US, particularly over the course of 25 years noting that the two countries have enjoyed strong and “very positive” ties under the last five US Presidents.

In an interview with the Newsweek, Jaishankar who is currently on a visit to the US used the financial term “trend lines” to emphasise that the ties between India and the US at the end of every presidency spread over a span of past five US presidents have been better than they were at the beginning of the presidency.

The External Affairs Minister Jaishankar expressed hope that India and the US will reach a successful conclusion to the trade negotiations.The US-India trade deal is being finalised by trade negotiators in the White House. “We are in the middle, hopefully more than the middle, of a very intricate trade negotiation. Obviously, my hope would be that we bring it to a successful conclusion, I cannot guarantee, because there’s another party to that discussion, but no question,” Jaishankar said in the Newsweek interview.

In conversation with @DevPragadNW of @Newsweek.
https://t.co/hsVSLETBv4

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 1, 2025

“I believe it’s possible, and I think we’ll have to watch this space for the next few days,” the EAM said. Jaishankar emphasised that the ties between India and the US at the end of every presidency spread over a span of past five US presidents have been better than they were at the beginning of the presidency.

Jaishankar noted that the trend line of India-US ties over the past 25 years has been “very strong” due to structural factors that work in favour of the relationship with, economics, technology, education, security, and energy acting as “drivers of the relationship.”

On how he sees India-US partnership evolving over the next two years, Jaishankar said, “I would say, again, I say this over multiple administrations, but particularly for the last 10-11 years, if you look at the trend line of the US-India relations, the trend lines have been very positive.”

“Just think back over the last five presidents of America Clinton, George W Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, back to Trump, five very different presidents and yet at the end of every presidency, if you were to do a dipstick on India US relations you’ll find it’s better off than it was at the beginning of that presidency and the trend line over the 20 over the last 25 years has actually been very very strong because I think there are structural factors that work for the relationship, that the economics, the technology the human bridges, the education, the security, the energy, all these are today drivers of the relationship.”

He noted that ties can never be free of issues or differences, but the two sides should have the ability to address them and maintain that trend in a positive direction. He also spoke about the issues with regards to India-US ties when he served as India’s Ambassador to the US.

He said, “Now, are there arguments, are there differences, are there episodes, sure it happens, it won’t be for the first time I mean, in fact at every one of these presidencies, I can think of something which at that time was a fiction point. I mean I remember even the time when I was ambassador here I mean I I literally came in a few days after we had a problem of a one of related to one of our diplomats in the city and then I had to deal with 301 issues with compulsory licensing controversies, with plans to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, we dealt with it. So, it’s not you know, relationships will never be free of issues, even I would say differences. I think what matters is the ability to deal with it and to keep that trend going in the positive direction.”

EAM Jaishankar also expressed hope that India and the US will reach a successful conclusion to the trade negotiations.

“Yes, we are in the middle, hopefully more than the middle of a very intricate trade negotiation. Obviously, my hope would be that we bring it to a successful conclusion, I cannot guarantee it because there’s another party to that discussion. But no question we do think today that that trade you know there will have to be give and take.Just as people in the US may have views about India, people in India too have views about the US and we will have to find a kind of a middle ground there, I believe it’s possible and I think we’ll have to watch the space for the next few days,” Jaishankar said..

India is negotiating a trade deal with the US, known as the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), the first tranche of which is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.

Jaishankar is on an official visit to the US at the invitation of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to participate in the next edition of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM), scheduled for July 1.

During the meeting, the leaders will build upon the discussions held during the last QFMM, which took place in Washington, DC, on January 21.

In the press release, MEA stated, “They will exchange views on regional and global developments, particularly those concerning the Indo-Pacific, and review the progress made on various Quad initiatives in the run-up to the Quad Leaders’ Summit, which India will host. The Ministers are also expected to deliberate on new proposals to advance the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Before arriving in Washington, DC, Jaishankar was in New York, where he inaugurated an exhibition at the United Nations on ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism,’ highlighting the need to expose state sponsorship of terrorism. (ANI)