The United States and India will not sign their bilateral trade agreement before 31 January 2027.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says talks are in the "short strokes" but signing is "not imminent". India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on 5 October that talks have hit a "plateau", eight months after a February framework. Two unresolved concerns are holding up the deal: the findings of a separate Section 301 overcapacity investigation that names India, due within weeks and to be followed by proposed duties and hearings over several months, and whether India would be impacted by a new US law letting Donald Trump tariff buyers of Russian energy by up to 100%. Delhi wants a clause shielding its tariff edge from later changes, so it has little reason to sign before these are clear. Meanwhile, US buyers are already avoiding bulk Indian orders, leaving textile, leather and footwear exporters on thin margins under a 10% duty while rivals such as Bangladesh await planned quota relief.