‘Great Respect’: Trump, PM Modi Speak 'Frequently', Trade Talks Underway, Says White House - WATCH

United States President Donald Trump speaks often with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and officials representing both Washington and New Delhi are continuing to hold talks to finalise a bilateral trade deal, the White House said. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that Trump has great respect for Prime Minister Modi. "I know the president has great respect for Prime Minister Modi, and they speak pretty frequently," Leavitt told reporters. "The president and his trade team continue to be in very serious discussions with India," she added."... The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to the Prime Minister directly when he celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with many

high-ranking Indian- American officials here at the White House. We have a great US Ambassador to India, Mr Sergio Gor," the White House Press Secretary said.

#WATCH | Washington, DC | White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says, "... The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to the Prime Minister directly when he celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with many… pic.twitter.com/9xZLAF6kwk

— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2025

Five rounds of talks have been completed so far for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement between the US and India, and negotiations are still underway. India and the US entered into negotiations for a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial BTA in March this year, with a target to complete the first tranche/phase of the pact by fall (October-November) of 2025.

However, ties between New Delhi and Washington were strained as the Trump administration imposed sweeping 50 per cent tariff on India - 25 per cent reciprocal and 25 per cent as a penalty for buying Russian oil. Post the tariffs, trade talks between the two nations paused for a brief amount of time as India described US tariff as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

US Keen on Trade Deal With India?

The US and India have been engaged in negotiations to finalise a bilateral trade agreement. Last week, during his South Korea, US President Trump said that he wanted to reach a trade deal with India. "I’m doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love, as you know, for Prime Minister Modi; we have a great relationship," Trump had said.

Piyush Goyal Shares Big Update on India-US Trade Deal

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal last week said that New Delhi and Washington are in advanced stages of talks regarding the bilateral trade agreement."We are at the advanced stage of discussions with both the EU and US for trade deals," said Piyush Goyal at the ET Startup Awards. Earlier, at the Berlin Global Dialogue, Goyal had said India will not do any deal in a hurry or with a "gun to our head".