Trump Says He Shares ‘Very Good Relationship’ With PM Modi As Trade Tensions Thaw | World News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump. (Image: PTI/File)

US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his personal rapport with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing ties between Washington and New Delhi as “very good”. Donald Trump said, “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.”

His comments came a day after Prime Minister Modi thanked Donald Trump for his birthday greetings ahead of his 75th birthday, pledging to further 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 wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Donald Trump, in turn, highlighted their exchange on Truth Social, posting, “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 after ties between the two countries strained over tariffs as Washington imposed steep duties on Indian goods, including a 50% levy on imports and a 25% tariff on Indian purchases of Russian oil- among the toughest measures applied to any country.

For the first time since the tariffs were announced, negotiators from both sides met this week to chart next steps. The talks, which the US described as “positive,” are being seen as an attempt to restore momentum in bilateral discussions. Amid the dispute, India and the US have been engaging almost weekly at trade, ministerial and diplomatic levels. Five rounds of negotiations on the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) have already been completed, while a sixth round- originally scheduled for August 25–29- was postponed following the tariff hike.