India is negotiating a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the United States, Indian commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday, days after Washington doubled tariffs on goods from India as a punitive measure for New Delhi's continued import of Russian oil, Hindustan Times reports ․

“We are in dialogue with the US for a BTA,” Goyal said at an Indian y chamber event on sustainability.

India and the US have been negotiating the pact since March. So far, five rounds of talks have been completed.

After a 50 percent duty was imposed from August 27, the US team has deferred its visit to India for the next round of talks, which was scheduled from August 25.

So far, no new dates have been finalized for the sixth round of negotiations.