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United States President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he may travel to India next year as the two countries continue discussions on trade. Speaking to reporters at the White House after announcing a move to reduce the prices of weight loss drugs, Trump said his conversations with PM Modi were progressing smoothly. He also reiterated his personal rapport with the prime minister. “He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia. And he is a friend of mine, and we speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go… Prime Minister Modi is a great man and I will be going,” Trump said. When asked if he planned to visit India next year, Trump responded, “It could be, yes.” The statement comes while trade talks continue between New Delhi and Washington after the United States imposed a 50 per cent tariff, including an additional 25 per cent duty, over India’s purchase of Russian oil. Earlier on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “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.” Her comments followed Trump’s recent claim that India reduced its import of Russian oil. During his Asia tour, he said New Delhi was “very good” on the issue and that Prime Minister Modi assured him India would reduce or stop crude imports from Moscow.Earlier this month, ministry of external affairs (MEA) issued a response to Trump’s comments, reiterating that the country’s energy sourcing decisions are based on national interests and consumer welfare.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.”
