India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra met US Undersecretary of State Jacob S Helberg here and discussed a mutually beneficial trade deal and technology cooperation. “Had a wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral economic engagement agenda, including a mutually beneficial trade deal, strategic trade dialogue, and technology cooperation including AI,” Kwatra posted on social media.

Helberg was previously an advisor to the Council of Economic Advisors at the White House. He is one of the senior US officials Kwatra has met in a series of meetings he has held with US lawmakers in last few months. Ties between New Delhi and Washington have come under severe strain after Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including an additional 25 per cent levies for its procurement of Russian crude oil.