New Delhi, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The proposed US-India trade agreement is “almost” finalised in principle, with Washington and New Delhi now working to settle the remaining legal and technical language, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Sunday.
Speaking at a media event in the national capital, Gor said the two sides had broadly settled the contours of the agreement and were now working on restructuring and finalising parts of the text.
“The trade deal is, in principle, almost everything is done,” Gor said, attributing the delay in concluding the agreement largely to the legal and technical language that still needs to be worked out.
The US envoy also addressed concerns over proposed legislation in the US Congress that could impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing Russian oil.
Gor said the measure was being pursued by lawmakers from both sides of the political spectrum and stressed that it was not an initiative being advocated by the White House.
“This is not something that you have seen the White House advocate. You won’t find a clip of President Trump pushing it,” he said.
Acknowledging that such legislation could have implications for India, Gor said US President Donald Trump remained committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“President from day one has been wanting to end this war between Russia and Ukraine, and he’s determined,” he said, describing an end to the conflict as “vitally important”.
Gor also underlined the close ties between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing their relationship as a “deep and personal friendship”.
“They are both forward leaning, and they want action fast, and they’re results-driven. Our President has tremendous respect for the Prime Minister,” he said.
Recalling the period when Trump was out of office following the 2020 US presidential election, Gor said Modi’s continued support had made a lasting impression on the US President.
“When you’re up, when you’re in the Oval Office, everybody wants to be your friend. But when you’re out, that’s when you can really realise who your friends are. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a true friend to him at that time,” he said.
Gor said the mutual trust between the two leaders had further strengthened the broader India-US relationship.
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