New Delhi: A trade deal between India and the United States could be finalised soon, with both countries finding common ground that suits their interests, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said, expressing "strong optimism" about the direction of ongoing talks while speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.

Lutnick said, "There were certain things that the Indian government did that generally rubbed the United States the wrong way. For instance, you generally buy your military gear from Russia.

That's a way to kind of get under the skin of America if you're going to buy your armaments from Russia. I think India starting to move towards buying military equipment from the United States, which then goes a long way. "And these kind of things just creating that relationship being a part of BRICS, which is, oh, let's move to not support the dollar and dollar hegemony.