US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described the trade deal with India as “historic”, announcing that the United States will significantly ramp up coal exports to India and other partner nations. Speaking at an event titled ‘Champion of Coal’, Trump said the US is emerging as a major global energy exporter under his leadership.

“And under our leadership, we’re becoming a massive energy exporter. In just the past few months, we’ve made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India, and others to increase our coal exports dramatically,” Trump said. He further claimed that American coal is among the finest in the world, adding, “We’re now exporting coal all over the world, and the quality of our coal is supposed to be the finest anywhere in the world.”

The remarks come shortly after the US and India announced a framework for an interim trade agreement aimed at strengthening bilateral economic ties. Under the proposed framework, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all American industrial goods and a broad range of food and agricultural products. In return, India has committed to purchasing USD 500 billion worth of US products over the next five years.

A joint statement issued by the two countries noted that India intends to buy USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal. The framework also reaffirms commitment to a broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement, aimed at improving market access and building resilient supply chains.