US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his personal rapport with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the ties between Washington and New Delhi “very good” despite ongoing trade tensions between the two
countries.
“I am very close to India, I am very close to the PM of India. I spoke to him the other day. I wished him a happy birthday. We have a very good relationship,” Donald Trump said.
The remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Donald Trump for his birthday wishes ahead of his 75th birthday, pledging to strengthen the India-US partnership.
“Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights. We support your initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Donald Trump, in turn, highlighted their exchange on his Truth Social account, saying, “Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I wished him a very Happy Birthday! He is doing a tremendous job. Narendra: Thank you for your support on ending the War between Russia and Ukraine!”
The warm words come against a backdrop of heightened friction in trade relations. The US has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods, including a 50% duty on imports and a 25% levy on Indian purchases of Russian oil- among the highest duties placed on any country.
This week, for the first time since the tariffs were imposed, trade negotiators from both sides met to discuss the next steps, with Washington describing the talks as “positive.”
Amid the tariff dispute, India and the US have been engaging almost weekly across trade, ministerial, and diplomatic channels. Five rounds of negotiations on the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) have already taken place, while the sixth round- initially slated for August 25 to 29- was postponed after Washington imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods.
