While a trade agreement is still elusive, two different US delegations are in New Delhi this week to meet with their Indian counterparts in an effort to mend bilateral ties.
The US embassy said over the weekend that Allison Hooker, the secretary of state for political affairs, will meet with key Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during her visit from December 7–11. On Tuesday, a different group headed by US deputy trade representative Rick Switzer is anticipated to arrive.
New Delhi officials with knowledge of the situation stated that they do not anticipate an immediate declaration of a trade agreement from the planned negotiations.The persons, who asked not to be named because the conversations are private, stated that the meetings indicate that both parties are maintaining lines of contact and are prepared to keep the larger relationship on course.
In August, President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports as retaliation for the country's trade restrictions and Russian oil purchases. Since then, he has imposed sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil producers, compelling Indian refiners to look for other suppliers.
Trump continues to criticize India's trade policies even though he has recently softened his language, stating in November that he may lower tariffs "at some point." Trump hinted that he would take action against the South Asian country for allegedly dumping Indian rice into the US market on Monday at the White House.

Trump declared, "They shouldn't be dumping." "I mean, I've heard that from other people. You are unable to accomplish that.
Putin's Visit
The US visits follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's high-profile travel to India last week, which he made in spite of Trump's insistence to strengthen business ties and highlight his long-standing connections with New Delhi.
According to persons acquainted with the situation, Switzer and chief trade negotiator Brendan Lynch are scheduled to visit India from December 9–11 in order to further talks on a comprehensive trade agreement. Recently, India's commerce secretary expressed optimism that the two parties may reach a deal before the end of the year on the first tranche of the accord, which deals with the tariff rates.

Requests for more information were not immediately answered by India's Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce and Industry.
The US-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue in August and the yearly military drills in Alaska in September are only two examples of the institutional engagement between the two sides, officials in New Delhi noted. The two countries held a bilateral working group meeting on counterterrorism last week.
After months of tension, analysts monitoring US-India relations say the two countries are working to restore balance to their bilateral relations.According to C. Raja Mohan, a visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, "both sides are trying to move beyond where the relationship was, and after tariffs were imposed, there have been sustained high-level negotiations between the two."
The interaction, according to Mohan, demonstrates that the two countries are attempting to overcome the "current bumps in the road."
Trump's claims that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the four-day fighting in May and used trade as a negotiating tool have also damaged India-US relations. The claims have been consistently denied by New Delhi.
Although the most recent negotiations are encouraging, the trade agreement is still unclear.