US Ambassador Sergio Gor calls India-US trade talks report 'fake', says negotiations remain active

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday dismissed a media report claiming that India had rejected a quick trade agreement with the United States asserting that negotiations between the two countries remain active and constructiveThe remarks came after a Reuters report suggested that India had declined to move forward with a fasttracked trade deal during recent discussions with the US Both Indian and US officials have rejected the claim saying negotiations are continuingSergio Gor calls report fake newsResponding to the report Gor took to social media platform X and said the information published by Reuters was inaccurateldquoFake news alert No one has rejected anything Both sides had very constructive meetings and reaffirmed their commitment to finalising a trade deal We continue to stay actively engaged Reuters you can do betterrdquo Gor posted on social media platform XFake news alert No one has rejected anything Both sides had very constructive meetings and reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing a trade deal We continue to stay actively engaged Reuters you can do better httpstco7LARDhhtCgmdash Ambassador Sergio Gor USAmbIndia July 13 2026His statement reaffirmed that officials from both countries remain engaged in discussions aimed at concluding a bilateral trade agreementPiyush Goyal rejects claims of stalled negotiationsEarlier in the day Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also denied the report describing it as inaccurate and misleadingIn a post on X Goyal said This news is completely false baseless and misleadingThis news is completely false baseless and misleading I had fantastic meetings with USTR Jamieson Greer USTradeRep when he visited Delhi in June Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to an agreement that is balanced commercially meaningful and delivers tangiblehellip httpstco0JZOULEL6imdash Piyush Goyal PiyushGoyal July 13 2026I had fantastic meetings with USTR Jamieson Greer when he visited Delhi in June Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to an agreement that is balanced commercially meaningful and delivers tangible benefits for businesses farmers workers and consumers in both countries the Commerce Minister saidGoyal further stated Our teams remain fully engaged in achieving this objectiveThe Reuters report had claimed that India is holding out for a better dealCommerce Secretary says talks progressing positivelyCommerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal also sought to reassure stakeholders that discussions between the two countries remain on courseAddressing a press conference in New Delhi Agrawal said there were no major obstacles in the negotiationsWe dont see any challenge in negotiations and consultations are progressing in the right directionrdquoHe reiterated that officials from both sides are working towards a mutually beneficial agreement that addresses the interests of both countriesTrade deal nearing final stageLate last month Sergio Gor had indicated that the proposed IndiaUS trade agreement was close to completionSpeaking at the USIndia Strategic Partnership Forum USISPF Leadership Summit the ambassador said negotiations had reached their final phase with only a few issues left to be resolvedHe said the proposed agreement was in its last one or two per cent and that negotiators from both countries had stepped up engagement in recent weeks to finalise the remaining aspects of the deal after nearly 18 months of discussionsFocus remains on concluding a balanced agreementIndia and the United States have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement aimed at expanding economic cooperation and improving market access for businesses in both countriesWhile differences remain on certain issues officials from both governments have repeatedly maintained that the talks are progressing constructively The latest statements from Sergio Gor Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal underscore both countries commitment to concluding a balanced commercially meaningful agreement that benefits businesses farmers workers and consumers on both sidesWith inputs from IANS