U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that a Pakistani delegation is scheduled to visit the United States next week for discussions related to tariffs and potential trade agreements. The President shared these remarks while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
President Trump stated that the United States is working closely with both India and Pakistan, noting that a trade deal with India is nearing completion, while Pakistan is now entering similar discussions.
According to international news agencies, Pakistan currently faces a 29% tariff on its exports to the U.S., attributed to its $3 billion trade surplus. In comparison, India faces a 26% tariff on shipments to the United States.
Earlier, during a separate media interaction in the Oval Office in the presence of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk President Trump highlighted his administration’s diplomatic efforts in preventing military conflict between India and Pakistan. He reiterated that “we stopped a war between Pakistan and India,” marking the ninth time he has publicly emphasized that tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations had posed a serious risk of nuclear confrontation.
President Trump expressed gratitude to the leaders of both countries for agreeing to a ceasefire, saying:
“I am thankful to the leaders of Pakistan and India for stepping back from the brink of war.” However, he was firm in stating that the U.S. cannot engage in trade with countries that are actively in conflict.
“We cannot trade with nations that are shooting at each other,” Trump declared.
“If India and Pakistan are fighting, then I’m not interested in making trade deals with either of them.”
The upcoming visit of the Pakistani delegation indicates renewed efforts to improve economic ties amidst regional tensions, while Washington continues to balance its strategic partnerships in South Asia.
