Will speak to PM Modi: Trump says India, US to continue talks on trade barriers

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration is continuing negotiations with India to address trade barriers. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he looked forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks and expressed confidence that the talks would lead to a successful outcome for both countries.

“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump’s remarks mark a softer tone, after he had previously warned that India and Russia seemed to have been “lost” to China, following PM Modi’s meeting with Xi and Putin at the SCO Summit in Tianjin.

He later moderated his stance, calling PM Modi a “great prime minister” and emphasising that they will “always be friends.” Modi responded by saying he “deeply appreciates” and “fully reciprocates” Trump’s sentiments and his positive assessment of the bilateral relationship.

Trump had also previously criticised India’s trade practices and energy ties with Russia, describing Washington’s relationship with New Delhi as “one-sided.”

The comments follow months of turbulent negotiations, including the US decision to double tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, even as Trump acknowledged that New Delhi had offered to cut its tariffs on US goods to zero, though he argued the move came “too late.”

India’s chief economic adviser recently cautioned that the tariffs could shave up to half a percentage point off India’s GDP this year. US-India trade in goods reached USD 129 billion in 2024, with Washington running a USD 45.8 billion deficit, according to US Census Bureau data.

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