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In the background as nasty US tariff war rages, the foreign ministers of India and the US held their quiet telephone talk with a focus on how to reach an early conclusion of Bilateral Trade Agreement between the two countries.

The US has imposed a hard 26 percent ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on India.

In a social media twitter post in X, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday evening that is on 7th April 2025 and they agreed on the importance of early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.

Jaishankar also stated that they exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East.

“Good to speak with @SecRubio today.

“Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Sub-continent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia and the Caribbean.

“Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.

“Look forward to remaining in touch.”

The talks come days after US President Donald Trump announced a 26% “discounted reciprocal tariff” on Indian imports, while describing the tariffs imposed by India as “very very tough”.

India and the US are negotiating the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), which would be ready by fall of 2025

Last month Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, along with a team of US government officials, was in India for meetings with Indian interlocutors as part of the ongoing bilateral trade discussions.