US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he looks forward to meeting his “very good friend” Prime Minister Modi in the coming weeks and confirmed that his administration will continue negotiations with India to resolve trade barriers between the two countries.Sharing a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks.””I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” he added. The remarks come after Trump had earlier softened his tone on India-US relations, calling the ties “very special,” affirming his friendship with PM Modi on Friday.Earlier, speaking at the White House Trump had said that, “I always will. I’ll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment.””But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion,” he added.Following Trump’s statement, PM Modi responded warmly on Saturday, saying he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties.”The shift in Trump’s tone follows his administration’s imposed 25% tariffs on Indian goods, plus an additional 25% on India’s Russian oil imports, bringing total duties to 50%.
