India-US Ties: United States President Donald Trump on Thursday hinted at a possible visit to India next year. This would come as both countries are making efforts to boost trade relations. In addition, Trump also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “great man” and a “friend”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said his talks with PM Modi were “going great.”
“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.
As per the news agency ANI, when asked directly if he planned to travel to India next year, Trump replied, “It could be, yes.”
Trump made these comments during a White House press briefing where officials unveiled a new initiative aimed at reducing the cost of popular weight loss drugs across the United States.
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Quad Summit
This comes months after, in August, The New York Times reported that Trump does not intend to visit India for the upcoming Quad Summit later this year, following Washington’s decision to impose heavy tariffs.
Citing sources familiar with the President’s schedule, the NYT report, titled “The Nobel Prize and a Testy Phone Call: How the Trump-Modi Relationship Unravelled”, noted that although Trump had earlier assured Prime Minister Modi that he would attend the summit in the fall, the plan has now been dropped.
India-US Relations
The hint of a possible India visit of the US President comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between India and the US following Washington’s decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff, including 25 per cent additional duties, over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
Earlier this month, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a response to Trump’s comments, reiterating that the country’s energy sourcing decisions are based on national interests and consumer welfare.
(with ANI inputs)