US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration is continuing negotiations with India to address trade barriers between the two nations, days after he claimed to have lost India to China.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he looked forward to speaking with “very good friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the “upcoming weeks,” expressing confidence that the talks could lead to a desired outcome for both countries.
“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 feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” he said.
Trump previously warned that India and Russia seemed to have been “lost” to the “deepest, darkest” China, following PM Modi’s meeting with Xi Jinping and Putin at the SCO Summit in Tianjin. He also shared a photo of the three leaders together at the summit in China.
However, he later backtracked on his remarks and moderated his stance, calling PM Modi a “great prime minister” and stressing that they will “always be friends.” PM Modi, too, responded by saying he “deeply appreciates” and “fully reciprocates” Trump’s sentiments and his positive assessment of the bilateral relationship.
Last week Trump said that India had offered to reduce tariffs on US goods to zero. However, he said that the proposal was “too late” and that India should have taken this step years ago.
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 come amid months of turbulent negotiations, with Trump claiming that the India and US were about to reach a deal, only to double tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent over its continued purchase of Russian oil.
India’s Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran recently warned that the tariffs could shave half a percentage point from 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.
