India news: India-US trade deal 'pretty close,' says Trump

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• Donald Trump's assurance on the finalization of the India-US trade deal comes Marco Rubio visits India 
• Rubio said that 99 % of the work on the trade deal is complete
• UN experts have called for an investigation into the police crackdown on protesters in India

Here's a roundup of our coverage from India from Wednesday, October 21:

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Skip next section India, US "pretty close" to finalising a trade deal: Donald Trump

October 21, 2026

India, US "pretty close" to finalising a trade deal: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Washington and New Delhi are pretty close to concluding the trade deal which has been under discussion for more than a year.

Trump said the deal "could be a much different kind of deal," hinting that the agreement between India and the US could differ from earlier trade pacts.

"They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah," Bloomberg cited Trump as he addressed journalists at the White House.

Trump's remarks come while US Secretary Marco Rubio is on a two-day visit to India. The visit is widely being seen as a repair attempt by Washington amid tensions in relations between the US and India over visa restrictions and tariff threats.

Alleviating concerns, Rubio on Tuesday said the tariffs are not meant to "punish India" and the visa restrictions are "not targeted" at the country.

"I think we’re incredibly close. The way I would say it is, we are weeks, not months, away from, I think, finalising it. I think 99% of the work is done. The remaining factor, you have to have 100% done. But I feel very positive of the trajectory that it’s on," he said in an interview with Indian newspaper The Indian Express.

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

October 21, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Hello! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi Bureau bringing you all the important updates from across India.

India is hosting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his second official visit to the country this year. Rubio, who landed in Mumbai, met Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar yesterday. 

During the meeting, Rubio and Jaishankar exchanged views on various topics, including trade, defence, technology and energy security. Following his meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio said that the India-US trade deal is "incredibly close."

Today, Rubio heads to the world's largest oil refinery owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani in the western state of Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has taken cognizance of the crackdown on protests in the past few weeks and urged Indian authorities to cease the use of "excessive force" against unarmed protesters.