India and the United States have resolved most of the issues concerning their proposed trade agreement, with negotiations now approaching the final stage, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Speaking at an interactive session at the HT Leadership Summit, Jaishankar expressed hope that the agreement would be concluded soon. He indicated that several of the remaining concerns were not on India’s side, with more changes having taken place on the American side.

Describing the negotiations as being close to the “finishing line”, the minister said both countries had already worked through the bulk of the issues, including tariff-related matters.

Responding to a question about the progress of the proposed trade pact, Jaishankar said, “Well, it’s certainly our hope, and in many ways anticipation that we are at the last stretch. That’s not a secret.”

He added that the remaining issues were being addressed and that both sides were keen to complete the negotiations.

“The hope is that we should close it out soon. It’s always the case that in that last period, everybody’s impatient,” he said.

India-US trade deal could be announced during Modi-Trump meeting

Jaishankar’s remarks come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to the United States next month for the G20 Summit.

There has been speculation that India and the US could announce the trade agreement following a meeting between Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit, scheduled to take place in Miami on December 14 and 15.

However, no formal announcement of the trade deal has been made.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also indicated during his visit to Mumbai that both countries were very close to finalising the agreement.

India and the US have been negotiating the proposed trade pact since early 2025. The discussions aim to address tariff-related differences, eliminate non-tariff barriers and improve market access for businesses in both countries.

India has been seeking favourable tariff terms for its exports to the US compared with competing economies.

What India wants from the proposed trade agreement

Jaishankar said India’s priority was to secure an agreement that would be beneficial and balanced while providing the country with a comparative advantage over economies competing in similar sectors.

“For us the key is that we want a trade deal which is beneficial, it is balanced and which would give us a comparative advantage over groups of comparable economies,” he said.

The minister also highlighted the importance of evaluating trade agreements from a broader economic perspective rather than focusing only on their immediate benefits.

Referring to India’s earlier free trade agreements with several Asian economies, he said the expected gains from some of those arrangements had not fully materialised.

However, he noted that India’s more recent trade agreements had been assessed more carefully, both strategically and economically.

Jaishankar said the US was one of India’s biggest markets and that an agreement with the world’s largest economy would benefit the country.

He also observed that US President Donald Trump was seeking bilateral trade agreements with several countries to improve market opportunities for American businesses. The challenge, he said, was to find an acceptable outcome for both sides.

Jaishankar explains why negotiations have taken time

Explaining the extended negotiations, Jaishankar said trade agreements involving tariffs and market access could not be concluded simply through quick decisions.

He stressed that the discussions required detailed examination of individual tariff lines, a process that takes considerable time.

“If you are serious, you go tariff line by tariff line. That takes time. Now we’ve done it the painstaking way,” he said.

The minister added that the negotiations involved important economic considerations, particularly because the outcome could affect people’s jobs and livelihoods.

He reiterated that India had made considerable efforts to work through the issues and that negotiations had now reached an advanced stage.

Jaishankar expressed hope that the remaining differences would be resolved and the proposed agreement would be concluded soon.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter that was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy during his visit to Mysuru developed a snag on Saturday and remained parked at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar helipad near Lalit Mahal.

Prime Minister Modi had arrived in Mysuru on Friday at around 3:20 pm to inaugurate the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium. Three helicopters had arrived as part of his convoy and landed at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar helipad.

Helicopter could not take off after technical problem

The problem emerged as the convoy was preparing to leave after the Prime Minister’s programme. One of the three helicopters developed a technical issue and could not take off.

PM Modi and the other members of his convoy subsequently continued their onward journey in one of the remaining two helicopters. The helicopter affected by the snag stayed at the helipad.

Technical personnel reached the site and began repair work on the helicopter. Efforts were being made to rectify the problem and make the aircraft fit for further operations.

Police cordon off helipad

Local police in Mysuru cordoned off the area around the helipad and provided security to the grounded helicopter. Staff from the Mysuru City Corporation were also deployed at the location as part of the arrangements.

The helicopter remained parked at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar helipad near Lalit Mahal at the time the report was filed.

No official word on exact nature of snag

There was no official statement from the concerned authorities regarding the exact nature of the snag or when the helicopter would resume its journey.

Prime Minister Modi had visited Karnataka on Friday, November 13, where he launched and inaugurated infrastructure and development projects worth more than Rs. 15,600 crore across Bengaluru and Mysuru.

He had also inaugurated the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium during his Mysuru visit before travelling onwards to Gujarat.

Congress leader Sam Pitroda has distanced himself from Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi taps his phone, saying he does not believe the Prime Minister does so.

Speaking in an interview, Pitroda said, “PM doesn’t do that”, while discussing the controversy surrounding Gandhi’s phone-tapping allegation.

Pitroda said he did not think the Prime Minister personally carries out such an act, explaining that he would not physically operate a computer to tap someone’s phone.

However, Pitroda separately claimed that he himself has faced surveillance.

Pitroda claims his devices were under surveillance

Pitroda said he had been advised by experts after they examined his devices that his phone could be tapped. He also claimed that his laptop had been attacked and his bank accounts were under surveillance.

“My phone is tapped, my laptop is attacked, my bank accounts are under surveillance,” Pitroda said, adding that he had consulted experts who had examined his devices and cautioned him about tapping.

Pitroda declined to identify who he believed was behind the alleged surveillance.

“Somebody is doing that. I don’t know and I don’t care. I live with it. I have no issue,” he said.

He added that he believed there were “nasty people” around and said he had chosen to live with the situation.

Rahul Gandhi’s phone-tapping allegation

Pitroda’s comments came after Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Central government was surveilling him and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was tapping his phone.

In a video posted by the Congress on X, Gandhi said the Prime Minister was aware of the alleged surveillance and again challenged him to an open, face-to-face debate.

Gandhi also claimed that evidence relating to his allegation that the Prime Minister was under the influence of “foreign powers” was already on his phone.

BJP rejects Rahul Gandhi’s allegation

The BJP has rejected Gandhi’s phone-tapping allegation, describing it as part of what it called a “shoot and scoot” approach.

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar dismissed the allegation and said that nobody was interested in tapping Gandhi’s phone.

Chandrasekhar also criticised Gandhi personally while rejecting his claim.

The controversy has continued to trigger political exchanges, with Opposition leaders backing Gandhi’s allegation while the BJP has rejected it.