Washington: Reiterating that his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were "going very well", US President Donald Trump confirmed plans to visit India amid ongoing trade negotiations between Washington and New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office this week, Trump praised Modi as a "great friend" and hinted at increasing alignment between Washington and New Delhi on energy imports. He said India had largely stopped buying oil from Russia, in line with his administration’s crackdown on nations purchasing Russian energy.
Trump said 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 directly if he planned to travel to India next year, the President replied, "It could be yes".
His remarks come amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two nations. Washington recently imposed a 50 per cent tariff -- along with 25 per cent additional duties -- on Indian imports, citing concerns over India’s ongoing purchases of Russian crude oil.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump holds a “very positive and strong” outlook on the future of India-US relations. She said that Trump recently spoke directly with Prime Minister Modi during Diwali celebrations at the Oval Office, which were attended by several senior Indian-American officials.
“The president has great respect for Prime Minister Modi, and they communicate quite frequently,” Leavitt said, adding that Washington and New Delhi remain engaged in “serious discussions” on trade-related matters.
Efforts to finalize India-US deal ‘in full force’
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this week that efforts to finalize trade agreements with the US and India are in “full force". Speaking at an event in Mumbai, she noted that negotiations are ongoing and India is now awaiting the final outcomes.
On October 23, negotiators from both countries held a virtual round of discussions, the fifth since March, as part of efforts to complete the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), which is targeted to be signed by the fall of 2025.
Formally proposed in February 2025 under the directives of both nations’ leaders, the agreement aims to more than double bilateral trade volumes from the current $191 billion to $500 billion by 2030.
