New Delhi, March 6 -- President Donald Trump has announced reciprocal tariffs on India starting April 2, potentially complicating the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two nations.

The announcement signals a challenging path ahead for trade talks that were previously targeted for completion by September.

Despite this development, New Delhi remains optimistic that the understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump during their February 13 meeting will help resolve trade issues and maintain the September deadline for signing the first tranche of the FTA.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal began his US trip on Monday to meet with the new United States Trade Representative,...