New Delhi: India on Friday dismissed as inaccurate remarks by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting that a bilateral trade deal between the two countries had failed to materialise because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Donald Trump.

Speaking at his weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and the US have been engaged in extensive negotiations to finalise the agreement.

“We have seen the remarks. India and the US were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as far back as February 13 last year,” Jaiswal said.

He added that multiple rounds of talks have been held since then to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade deal. “On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate,” he said.

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Jaiswal reiterated India’s commitment to concluding the trade agreement. “We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it,” he said.

He also noted that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have spoken eight times over 2025, covering various aspects of the bilateral partnership.