Hopes of thaw in ties: Trump extends birthday greetings to ‘friend’ Modi

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and greeted him ahead of his 75th birthday, sparking hopes of a reset in the bilateral ties that came under severe strain after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent.

In a social media post, Modi said that like Trump, he is also “fully” committed to taking the India-US comprehensive and global partnership to “new heights”.

PM Modi also conveyed to President Trump that India supports his initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

Trump said Modi is doing a tremendous job and thanked the prime minister for his support in ending the war in Ukraine.

The US president’s call to PM Modi came on a day India and the US held a fresh round of talks in New Delhi on their proposed bilateral trade agreement.

“Thank you, my friend, President Trump, for your phone call and warm greetings on my 75th birthday,” Modi said on ‘X’.

“Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights,” he said.

“We support your initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict,” he added.

Trump’s call came a day before the prime minister’s 75th birthday.

“Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I wished him a very Happy Birthday! He is doing a tremendous job,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Narendra: Thank you for your support on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine,” he added.

The phone call, first after the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, is seen as significant as it came days after the two leaders exchanged messages on the social media that indicated an intent to rebuild the ties.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington were reeling under severe stress after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent including a 25 per cent additional duties for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.

India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

In the last few weeks, several Trump administration officials including White House trade advisor Peter Navarro have used offensive language to target India, especially on its energy ties with Russia.

Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries-imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.

Earlier in the day, India and the US held a new round of trade talks.

A spokesperson at the US embassy in India said the two sides discussed next steps in bilateral trade negotiations.

“Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch had a positive meeting in Delhi with his counterpart Ministry of Commerce and Industry Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal on September 16 to discuss next steps in bilateral trade negotiations,” a US embassy spokesperson said.

The decision to hold the trade talks came after Modi warmly responded to President Trump’s remarks last week on efforts to address “trade barriers” between the two sides.

The US president had said he was looking forward to speaking to PM Modi in the “upcoming weeks” and sounded confident that both sides would be able to seal the proposed trade deal.

On his part, Modi said India and the US are natural partners and teams from both sides are working to conclude negotiations on the trade deal.

The exchange between the two leaders on social media was largely seen as part of efforts by both New Delhi and Washington to reset their ties.

In the last few months, India and the US held several rounds of negotiations for a bilateral trade deal, but it could not be sealed in view of sharp divergences in certain critical areas including agriculture and dairy.with agency inputs