United States President Donald Trump on Friday underlined the enduring strength of the India-US relationship, describing it as “very special” and assuring that he would “always be friends” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as he voiced disapproval of some of India’s recent decisions.
When asked by ANI if he was ready to reset ties with India, Trump responded: “I always will. I’ll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion.”
On trade talks with India and other countries, Trump maintained that negotiations were progressing positively, though he criticised the European Union’s USD 3.5 billion fine on Google, calling it unfair and vowing that his administration would not allow such “discriminatory action” against US companies.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after he clarified his earlier Truth Social post suggesting that the US had “lost India and Russia to China.” Addressing ANI, he said: “I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India—50 per cent, very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi as you know.”
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasised the depth and resilience of bilateral ties. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted, “This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, anchored in shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties… We hope the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The MEA also reaffirmed that India remains actively engaged with Washington on trade matters, despite recent frictions over tariffs and energy policy.