India
India and US are close friends and natural partners: Modi on trade talks
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and the United States were working to wrap up their ongoing trade talks at the earliest, a move seen as a step toward lowering tensions and potentially easing Washington’s punitive tariffs on Indian goods.
Responding to US President Donald Trump’s post on X about the negotiations, Modi wrote: “India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people.”
Trump later shared Modi’s remarks on his Truth Social account, a gesture viewed as signalling a thaw in strained ties.
On Tuesday, Trump announced the restart of bilateral negotiations. “I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He went on to praise Modi, saying the Indian leader was a “very good friend” and adding: “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our great countries.”
This follows his remarks last Friday at a White House briefing, where Trump said, “I’ll always be friends with Prime Minister Modi” and called him a “great Prime Minister.” He added, “India and the United States have a special relationship. There’s nothing to worry about.”
However, Washington has continued to pressure New Delhi over its Russian oil purchases. According to AFP, Trump recently urged the European Union to impose tariffs as high as 100% on India and China to penalise them for buying Russian crude.
Just last month, his administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, including a new 25% duty linked to India’s Russian oil trade — measures India denounced as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”