Modi: Looks Forward to Speaking with Trump
India wary as US President suggests EU impose 100% tariffs
By : Sridhar Kumaraswamy
Update: 2025-09-10 03:27 GMT
New Delhi: In yet another sign of a thaw in bilateral relations in the past four days, United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday (IST) expressed optimism for a trade deal with India and said he looked forward to speaking to "very good friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks. Reciprocating, Modi said India and the US are "natural partners" and teams from both sides are working to conclude negotiations on a bilateral trade deal at the earliest. Modi added that he too looks forward to speaking to Trump.
Despite the warm words, India is expected to tread cautiously in the wake of the latest media reports that the US President is now directly trying to persuade Europe to levy 100 per cent tariffs on both India and China for importing Russian oil and apparently promising the Europeans that the US will also follow suit once the Europeans act.
The US President made the extraordinary demand after dialling into a meeting on Tuesday between senior US and EU officials gathered in Washington to discuss ways to heighten the economic cost of the war for Moscow, the report said, citing unnamed officials.
The Financial Times quoted a US official as saying that Washington was prepared to "mirror" any tariffs on China and India imposed by the EU.
Amid mixed signals and continued attacks on India by Trump's confidantes, the US President on Wednesday posted on social media platform Truth Social, "I am pleased to announce that India and the US 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!"
In response, Modi posted on X, "India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people."
Last Saturday, Trump had told the media, "I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister. India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about… I get along very well with Modi … ."
Soon after the US President's conciliatory words, the Prime Minister had reacted by saying, "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership."
Just weeks ago, amid heightened trade frictions and American tariff threats on India, German media reports had claimed that Trump had tried to speak to Modi as many as four times on the phone, but that the PM had refused to take the calls. Significantly, the US President's confidantes, such as trade advisor Peter Navarro, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, have continued to regularly attack India in the past few weeks over alleged trade barriers and for importing Russian oil.