US President Donald Trump has announced that Pakistani officials will be visiting the United States next week, as Islamabad looks to negotiate a trade agreement and avoid steep tariffs on its exports.
Pakistan is currently facing the threat of a 29% tariff on goods it exports to the US, stemming from a $3 billion trade surplus and part of broader tariff measures introduced by Washington last month.
Trump made these remarks just a day after Pakistan formally opened trade talks with the United States, aiming to establish a reciprocal tariff deal.
U.S. President Trump says Pakistan’s representatives are arriving in Washington D.C. next week for U.S.-Pakistan bilateral negotiations on a trade deal: pic.twitter.com/z8QnvQ5j1H
— The STRATCOM Bureau (@OSPSF) May 31, 2025
The discussions were initiated by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer during a phone call on Thursday, according to an advisor to the finance minister who shared the update on X (formerly Twitter).
“Pakistan representatives are coming next week. We’re very close to a deal with India. I wouldn’t be interested in deals with either if they were going to be at war with each other,” Trump told journalists.
Earlier this month, Pakistan proposed a bilateral trade pact that would eliminate tariffs on selected goods of mutual interest, in an effort to boost trade across various sectors.
This proposal came after President Trump played a role in mediating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India, following a series of military exchanges between the two neighboring countries. Trump asserted that he helped avert a devastating conflict that “could have killed millions of people.”
In the meantime, a high-level political team from Pakistan, led by PPP Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is scheduled to reach New York on June 2. Their mission is to present Pakistan’s position on the recent tensions with India following the Pahalgam incident.
The delegation will include PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister Musadik Malik, PML-N leader Khurram Dastgir Khan, former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and former foreign secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
During their two-day visit, they will hold meetings with UN officials and interact with global media to share Pakistan’s stance.