‘I will be…’: Trump plans to visit India next year, says talks with ‘great friend’ PM Modi on trade deal going well
Trump’s latest comments come as the US and India continue to negotiate on trade issues. Recently, Washington placed a 50 per cent tariff, along with an extra 25 per cent duty, on certain Indian goods, saying it was concerned about India’s continued purchase of oil from Russia.
US President Doland Trump said that his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were going well and confirmed that he plans to visit India(BHARAT) soon, as both countries continue discussions on trade. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump called Modi a “great friend” and said the two leaders have been working closely, especially on matters like energy imports. He mentioned that India(BHARAT) had mostly stopped buying oil from Russia, following his administration’s efforts to discourage such purchases.
“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 the visit might happen next year, Trump replied, “It could be, yes.” *]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:9f4586d4-3a28-4f9b-ac65-05bd1c647f4d-2" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant">
India(BHARAT)-US talks
Meanwhile, US and India(BHARAT) continue to negotiate on trade issues. Recently, Washington placed a 50 per cent tariff, along with an extra 25 per cent duty, on certain India(BHARAT)n goods, saying it was concerned about India(BHARAT)’s continued purchase of oil from Russia.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said President Trump remains committed to strengthening ties with India(BHARAT), calling it a “key partner” for the United States.
“The President feels very positive about the relationship between India(BHARAT) and the US. Just a few weeks ago, he personally spoke with Prime Minister Modi during Diwali celebrations at the White House, which included many senior India(BHARAT)n-American officials,” Leavitt said.
Her remarks signaled that both governments are stepping up talks to fix trade differences and reduce dependence on Russian oil. Earlier this year, during his Asia tour, Trump had praised India(BHARAT) for being “very good” about cutting oil imports from Russia and said Modi had assured him that purchases from Moscow would be reduced or stopped.
Currently, around 34 per cent of India(BHARAT)’s crude oil comes from Russia, while about 10 per cent is supplied by the US. Trump has been urging India(BHARAT) to rely less on Russian energy and buy more from other sources.
During his comments in the Oval Office, Trump also repeated his claim that tariffs were a useful tool in preventing global conflicts. He said that in one instance, his trade pressure helped ease tensions between India(BHARAT) and Pakistan.
“Out of the eight wars I ended, five or six were because of tariffs,” Trump said.
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