Overview
- Chief negotiator Darpan Jain will lead the delegation, with talks centered on translating the February joint statement’s contours into a legal agreement.
- Officials say both governments are working toward a March signing, though they stress there is no fixed deadline.
- Washington has already scrapped the 25% punitive levy tied to India’s Russian oil purchases, and the reciprocal tariff is expected to be reduced from 25% to 18% soon.
- New Delhi says any tariff reductions or preferential market access on its side will take effect only after the legal pact is signed.
- Digital trade and services are not part of the interim package and will be negotiated later under a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement.