Days after the US Supreme Court invalidated President Donald Trump's broad global tariff system, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made an unscheduled visit to New Delhi, where he had a "highly productive" lunch meeting with the Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday. The meeting was dominated by discussions on how the two countries can enhance trade relations.
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US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Goyal confirmed the meeting through separate posts on X, sharing a photograph from the interaction. Gor wrote, "A highly productive lunch with @howardlutnick and @PiyushGoyal. So many areas of cooperation for our two nations!"
Goyal said he had "engaged in very fruitful discussions to expand our trade and economic partnership".
A highly productive lunch with @howardlutnick and @PiyushGoyal. So many areas of cooperation for our two nations! pic.twitter.com/C3CDN3Wopg
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 26, 2026
Talks amid shifting trade landscape
According to a statement shared with Hindustan Times by the US Commerce Department, both sides "discussed ways to deepen the trade and economic relationship between the United States and India". Officials, however, did not disclose specific outcomes, and India's Commerce Ministry did not respond to queries seeking further details.
The visit comes at a sensitive moment for India-US trade negotiations. On February 20, the US Supreme Court invalidated Trump's use of emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping tariffs. The decision forced the administration to shift to alternative legal provisions.
Trump subsequently invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce a fresh global tariff of 10 per cent, later announcing plans to raise it to the statutory ceiling of 15 per cent. As of Thursday, the tariff remains at 10 per cent on all trading partners, in addition to existing Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rates, and is valid for 150 days.
Impact on bilateral trade talks
The ruling disrupted a carefully negotiated timeline between New Delhi and Washington. India's chief negotiator Darpan Jain and his delegation were scheduled to travel to Washington from February 23 to finalise the legal text of an interim bilateral trade agreement based on a February 6 joint statement. The visit was postponed as both sides sought time to assess the court's decision and its implications.
Experts believe the agreement now requires recalibration. Constitutional expert Abhishek Rastogi was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times, "The authority of the executive to agree on tariff rates is not unfettered; it remains subject to judicially enforceable constitutional constraints. Any tariff commitment that exceeds statutory delegation or violates constitutional limits would be legally unsustainable and liable to be struck down."
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Private engagement in Jodhpur
HT reported that later in the day, Lutnick departed for Jodhpur, where he is attending the wedding of Ayesha Arora, daughter of tech executive Nikesh Arora, and Jack Hughes, according to people familiar with the matter.
