President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) claimed that the United States is “very close to making a deal with India,” adding that a representative from Pakistan is expected to visit Washington for talks next week.“Pakistan representatives are coming in next week. We’re very close to making a deal with India,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.However, he made it clear that any ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan could derail such agreements. “And I wouldn’t have any interest in making a deal with either if they were going to be at war with each other,” he further warned.His remarks come amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following India’s May 10 ‘Operation Sindoor’, a counterstrike in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.The United States has announced worldwide tariffs, potentially subjecting Pakistani exports to a 29% duty due to its $3 billion trade surplus with the American economy.Union minister Piyush Goyal’s recent Washington visit was aimed to progress trade negotiations, with both nations seeking to finalise an interim deal by early July, after India could face 26% duties on its US-bound exports. According to the ministry of external affairs, foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the US from May 27 to 29. The Indian Embassy described his meeting with US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau as a “great first meeting” that covered a wide range of bilateral priorities.Meanwhile, according to a Reuters report last week, India is expected to allow US companies to bid for government contracts worth over $50 billion, mostly from federal agencies—as part of ongoing trade negotiations with Washington.Earlier, Trump had once again reiterated his assertion about mediating a de-escalation between India and Pakistan, stating that his administration’s trade discussions potentially prevented a nuclear conflict between the two nations.“We talk trade, and we say we can’t trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons… They understood and they agreed, and that all stopped,” the US President said.“I think the deal I’m most proud of is the fact that we’re dealing with India, we’re dealing with Pakistan, and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed to bullets. You know, normally they do it through bullets. We do it through trade. So I’m very proud of that. Nobody talks about it. But we had a very nasty potential war going on between Pakistan and India. And now, if you look, they’re doing fine,” he added.
