Trump aide’s ‘Modi didn’t call’ claim, then a Jaishankar-Rubio call. What next for India-US trade deal?

It has been five months since the taxes on things that India sells to the United States became really high at fifty percent. Half of this tax is what President Donald Trump calls a penalty because India bought oil from Russia. And people are still not sure when India and the United States will make a trade agreement or if they will make one at all. The tariffs on exports to the United States are still very high and people are waiting to see what will happen with the trade deal, between India and the United States.

People from two countries have been talking about trade since before the tariffs started. They officially began talking in March or April of year. This happened after they got the okay to talk in February. The things that Trump and some important people in his group have said in the few days have made things even more confusing. Trade negotiations are still going on. People are waiting to see what happens with the trade, between the two countries.

The United States President Donald Trump has an aide the United States commerce secretary is actually Wilbur Ross, not Howard Lutnick, who is the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald. One of Donald Trumps aides claimed that a potential trade deal between India and the United States fell through because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call Donald Trump.

Another person recently said that Donald Trump has agreed to a bill that could increase the tariffs on India to 500 percent.

These things seem like signs for the future of United States-India ties even though Donald Trump says he is friends, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India was really fast to say no to what Lutnick said. People started to feel hopeful when the new US ambassador, to India Sergio Gor said something recently. He said that the United States thinks India is an important partner. He also said that the United States and India are still talking about trade. India and the United States are still having these trade talks.

So what is going on now? Let me tell you what some people said over the few days:

Donald Trump said that Narendra Modi knew he was not happy. The thing is Modi understood that Trump was unhappy. Trump is talking about his relationship, with Modi. He thinks Modi knew what was going on with him. Modi knew that Trump was not happy and that is what Trump is saying.

Donald Trump gave a clue this month that his administration might raise tariffs on India even more. When he was talking to the media on Air Force One Donald Trump said that Prime Minister Modi is a guy. Donald Trump was being pretty clear about what he thinks of Prime Minister Modi. The tariffs, on India are something that Donald Trump has been thinking about a lot lately.

India wanted to make me happy. The leader of India Mr Modi is a good person and he knew that I was not happy. He really wanted to make me happy. India knew that we can raise tariffs, on India quickly that is what I said.

The person made these comments a months after he said that Prime Minister Modi told him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. This is important because the United States increased taxes on things from India in August 2025 and the oil trade, with Russia was a part of that decision. India buying oil from Russia was an issue.

The United States administration has been unhappy with the relationship between India and Russia when it comes to energy. The President, Donald Trump and the people who work with him have said that Russia is using the money it gets from selling energy to India to fight in Ukraine. The United States put taxes on things from India, which used to be 25 percent and then they made it even higher, to 50 percent. The United States officials say they did this to try to get Russia to stop fighting in Ukraine. India and Russia have an energy trade and the United States wants Russia to stop selling energy to India or at least use the money for something else not for fighting, in Ukraine.

A big problem is coming for India. There is talk of a tariff it is 500 percent. This is bad news for India. The tariff is going to make things very expensive. India will have to pay a lot of money. This 500 percent tariff is a worry, for India.

A days after Donald Trump talked about increasing taxes on things from India, Lindsey Graham, who is a senator, in the United States said some things that meant the same thing. He said that the President of the United States Donald Trump agreed to a bill that would increase penalties on Russia and this would also affect countries that trade with Russia, including India. Lindsey Graham was talking about the Russia sanctions bill. How it would affect India too because India trades with Russia.

Today was a good day because I had a meeting with President Trump. We talked about a lot of things. He said yes to the Russia sanctions bill that people from both parties worked on. I think this bill will get a lot of votes from both parties. I hope it happens soon maybe next week. Senator Graham said this on X week. The Russia sanctions bill is something that Senator Graham and other people from both parties are working on. Senator Graham had a meeting, with President Trump and President Trump liked the Russia sanctions bill.

This new bill that might become a law has a part that will affect India. It wants Trump to put high taxes on things that come from countries that buy Russian uranium and oil on purpose. This means that anything that comes from these countries to the United States will cost a lot more. Graham thinks this will give the United States a lot of power over countries like China, India and Brazil. The bill says that Trump should charge least five times more tax on all goods and services from these countries. Graham believes this will be very good for the United States because it will make countries, like China, India and Brazil listen to what the United States wants.

Modi not calling Trump behind deal impasse?

The United States commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick is a fan of the tariffs that President Trump wants to put on India. He thinks it is an idea to charge India 50 percent tariffs. Howard Lutnick has been talking a lot about this. He just said something about the talks that are going on between the United States and India. The United States and India are trying to work out some problems. Howard Lutnick made a claim about these negotiations, between the United States and India.

Lutnick was talking on a podcast. He said something about a trade deal that did not happen. This deal failed just before it was going to be finalized. The reason for this was that Prime Minister Modi did not call Donald Trump. Lutnick said he was the person who made the agreement happen. He also said that he told them he needed Prime Minister Modi to call the President. But the Indians were not comfortable, with this so Prime Minister Modi did not make the call. Lutnick said that he was the one who set up the agreement and he knew that Prime Minister Modi had to call Donald Trump for it to work.

He said that the trade deal with India was going to be finished before they did deals with India and other countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines. The trade deal, with India was really important. They wanted to get that one done first with India.

The Indian ministry of external affairs said that what Lutnick claimed is not true. They did not agree with what Lutnick said. The Indian ministry of external affairs basically dismissed the claims made by Lutnick.

The way these talks are described in what was said is not right MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said. He also said that India is still open to a deal that’s good, for both sides. India wants a deal that helps India and the other side too.

Union minister Piyush Goyal is telling Indians to believe in India not what other countries say. He said “Believe in your country believe in your motherland do not believe in what other countries say” to NDTV at an event when they asked him about what Lutnick said. Union minister Piyush Goyal wants Indians to trust India.

‘No partner more essential than India’

The United States ambassador to India Sergio Gor said something that’s different from what Donald Trumps people Graham and Lutnick said before. He said that the United States and India can still make a trade agreement. Sergio Gor thinks India is very important to the United States. He said India is the essential partner for the United States. The friendship between Prime Minister Modi and Donald Trump is very real Sergio Gor said. He really believes in the friendship, between the United States and India. He thinks Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi have a good relationship. Sergio Gor wants the United States and India to work together.

Jaishankar and Marco Rubio had a conversation, about trade. They discussed trade issues. Trade was the topic of their conversation. Jaishankar and Marco Rubio talked about the trade situation.

People are wondering what will happen to the trade relationship between India and the United States. The India-US trade ties are on everyones mind. So the external affairs minister S Jaishankar had a talk, with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio on the phone on Tuesday. He wanted to discuss the India-US trade ties and find out what the other side is thinking about the future of the India-US trade ties.

People talked about working with each other, which includes things like trade, important minerals, nuclear energy, defence and energy. The officials said this about the discussion, on cooperation and what bilateral cooperation includes, like trade, critical minerals, nuclear energy, defence and energy.

Jaishankar said that he had a conversation with Rubio. He also said that Jaishankar and Rubio would stay in touch, about these issues and other things.

Despite the US’s repeated criticism of India’s oil trade with Russia, New Delhi has always maintained that its energy sourcing are guided by “what is on offer in markets and prevailing global situation”, and the needs of the Indian consumer.