External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial for parties involved, referring to the ongoing talks between the government and the US administration under President Donald Trump over a bilateral trade deal.

The External Affairs Minister said that the Indian side expects the trade deal to be mutually beneficial. “Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal," he said.

“Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on. These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is.. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature," S Jaishankar on Thursday said in conversation with news agency ANI.

The comments come as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is set to embark on his second visit to the United States this year for high-level trade discussions, according to a report by news agency Reuters.

The upcoming trip on May 17 follows his earlier engagement in February during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington, where both nations agreed to target the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement by fall 2025.

The current visit aims to advance negotiations on a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and address pressing trade issues, including the recent 26% tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on Indian exports.

Accompanying Minister Goyal will be Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal and other senior officials. The delegation’s agenda also includes discussions on matters related to the World Trade Organization (WTO). India plans to strengthen economic ties with the United States, its largest trading partner and wants to achieve the ambitious goal of increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

Source: ANI