The tight India-US relations over tariffs prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to say he “fully reciprocates his sentiments” in response to US President Donald Trump’s “always be friends” statement on Saturday. The prime minister claims that the US and India have a “very positive” international strategic alliance. “I sincerely appreciate President Trump’s words and his positive evaluation of our relationship, and I totally return the favor. “The Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership between the United States and India is very positive and forward-looking,” PM Modi wrote on X. Trump said he and Prime Minister Modi would “always be friends” and described India-US relations as a “very special relationship” on Friday. In reference to India’s imports of Russian oil, he did, however, voice his disapproval of what PM Modi is “doing” at the present. “PM Modi and I will always be pals. He is an outstanding prime minister. Even though we will always be friends, I don’t like what he is doing right now. However, the relationship between the United States and India is extremely unique. There is no need for concern. We just have moments sometimes,” Trump said.
Additionally, the president of the United States stated that trade negotiations with India are “going well”. After the Trump administration placed secondary taxes on India for purchasing Russian energy, relations between the US and India deteriorated in recent weeks. With the exception of Brazil, the US tariffs on Indian products now exceed 50%, the highest rate Trump has levied in his new list. India condemned the measure as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable”.
Despite their own tense relations with the US, PM Modi shared goodwill with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping while attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. In photos and videos, the three leaders could be seen grinning, embracing, and shaking hands. To show support for the two leaders in the face of Trump’s high tariffs on India, PM Modi also shared photos of himself with them. Trump asserted that the US “lost India to China” a few days later. He later emphasized, though, that he “does not believe so” We haven’t (lost India), in my opinion. The fact that India will be purchasing so much oil from Russia has greatly saddened me. I informed them of that. We imposed an extremely high tariff of fifty percent on India. As you are aware, PM Modi and I have a great relationship. He told the reporters, “He was here a few months ago; in fact, we had a news conference at the Rose Garden.”
