‘Great friend in Modi’: US Embassy shares surprise shoutout by Trump

New Delhi: The United States Embassy in India on Tuesday issued an unexpected public message lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quoting US President Donald Trump as saying, “We have a great friend in PM Modi.” The post on X described India as “one of the world’s oldest civilizations” and “an important strategic partner for America in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The message appeared days after Modi and Trump held a telephone conversation to assess the state of bilateral ties and identify ways to maintain progress in trade engagement. It was their first direct interaction since October and came as both sides explored options to reduce ongoing trade frictions.

The call coincided with a two-day visit to India by US deputy trade representative Rick Switzer, who met senior officials including commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal. His trip followed months of tension after Washington imposed a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, then added another 25 per cent penalty linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil, raising the total duty to 50 per cent, the highest placed on any US trading partner.

After the discussion, Modi said on X that the leaders reviewed bilateral progress and exchanged views on regional and global issues, adding that both countries would continue working together for “peace, stability and prosperity”.

Amid renewed engagement, chief economic advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said last week he expects an India–US trade agreement to be finalised by the end of the current fiscal year, though Indian officials have underlined that any deal must align with domestic priorities.mpost