US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described the recently concluded trade agreement with India as a “historic deal,” saying it would significantly boost American coal exports and strengthen the country’s position in global energy markets.
Addressing a press briefing, Trump said the United States had emerged as the world’s leading energy producer and was rapidly becoming a major exporter.
“America is now the number one energy producer in the world. We’re becoming a massive energy exporter. In just the past few months, we’ve made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India, and others to dramatically increase our coal exports. The quality of our coal is the finest anywhere in the world,” he said.
His remarks came days after Washington released a fact sheet outlining the “path forward” for the newly finalised trade pact with India.
The two countries reached an interim agreement after nearly a year of negotiations that began in February 2025. The deal was announced last week following a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump, during which both leaders finalised the framework of the pact.
Under the agreement, India is set to benefit from a reduction in US import duties from 50% to 18% on a wide range of products. These include textiles and garments, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber goods, organic chemicals, home décor items, handicrafts, and selected machinery categories.
India and the US had held several rounds of negotiations in recent months after talks stalled following the Trump administration’s decision to impose steep tariffs on Indian imports. A 25% duty was introduced in August, forming part of the 50% tariff, with Washington alleging that India’s energy purchases were indirectly supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
The interim agreement is being seen as a major step toward stabilising trade relations between the two countries and expanding bilateral commerce, particularly in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
