New Delhi

Foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev on Saturday rejected claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to engage former US President Donald Trump on a bilateral trade deal, asserting that there were sound diplomatic reasons for the absence of direct leader-level talks.

Responding to remarks made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Sachdev said negotiations between India and the United States had stalled due to unresolved issues that touched upon India’s core interests, including agriculture reforms, genetically modified (GMO) exports, data localisation laws and broader farm-sector concerns.

Using a metaphor, Sachdev said the US side misread India’s position. He remarked that while Lutnick has been described by Trump as an excellent “table setter,” the proposed trade framework was unacceptable for India. According to him, the groundwork for any agreement must be completed at the official and ministerial levels before leaders step in.

“In standard diplomatic practice, officials resolve contentious issues first. Leaders come in only when consensus has been reached. Heads of government do not negotiate line by line,” Sachdev said, adding that pushing discussions prematurely to the highest level was a strategic error.

He noted that Trump’s preference for direct leader-to-leader deal-making created complications. “If a leader is asked to override domestic laws or national-interest safeguards in a phone call, that simply isn’t possible,” he said, adding that there were logical reasons if Prime Minister Modi did not initiate such a call.

Addressing reports of possible US tariffs of up to 500 per cent, Sachdev clarified that the proposed legislation had been circulating in the US Senate for over a year and was not specific to India or the Trump-Modi relationship. He pointed out that the bill enjoys bipartisan backing and would have a broad global impact if passed.

Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said during an appearance on the All-In Podcast that a trade deal did not materialise because Prime Minister Modi did not directly contact Trump, claiming that leader-level engagement was necessary to finalise the agreement.

However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected this characterisation. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India and the US had come close to finalising a trade deal on several occasions and that the portrayal of the negotiations by the US Commerce Secretary was inaccurate.

ALSO READ: Mahmud Akram: the boy who knows 400 languages

Jaiswal added that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have spoken multiple times over the past year on a wide range of bilateral issues, and that both sides remain committed to pursuing a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement.