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25 Oct 2025, 11:52 am

India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, held discussions on Saturday with US Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly, focusing on the India-US energy security partnership and recent developments in energy trade and bilateral ties.

The meeting comes amid ongoing negotiations for a proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two countries, which officials say is “very near” to being finalised. “We are very near as far as the deal is concerned,” a senior official said on Friday.

Kwatra described his discussion with Danly as “fruitful” in a social media post, highlighting the shared perspectives on energy trade and strategic cooperation.

Separately, Kwatra met Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet to discuss India-US industrial collaboration, noting the critical role US defence companies can play in advancing New Delhi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.

Earlier this week, the ambassador also hosted Republican Senator Bill Hagerty from Tennessee and his wife Chrissy at his residence. “Discussed various facets of our bilateral partnership, including ongoing talks on a mutually beneficial trade deal,” Kwatra wrote on X. He added that the talks explored expanding hydrocarbons trade and working together to address shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

The bilateral trade discussions were directed by leaders of the two nations in February 2025, with officials aiming to conclude the first tranche of the agreement by October-November 2025. Five rounds of negotiations have been completed so far, including a delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to New York last month.

The talks come against the backdrop of strained India-US relations after the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent additional duty on Russian crude oil imports. India has repeatedly described these tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”