Indian chief’s remarks observe Trump reaffirming their private friendship and downplaying his earlier remarks about ‘dropping India’ to China.
Printed On 6 Sep 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says ties with america stay “very optimistic”, after US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their private friendship and downplayed earlier remarks about “dropping India” to China.
“Deeply admire and absolutely reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and optimistic evaluation of our ties,” Modi mentioned in an announcement posted on X on Saturday, including that India and the US “have a really optimistic and forward-looking complete and international strategic partnership”.
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Strains have emerged between the 2 longtime allies after the Trump administration imposed tariffs of as much as 50 p.c on Indian imports, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Moscow’s lethal assaults on Ukraine by buying Russian oil.
Hypothesis of a deepening rift additional intensified when Trump remarked on Friday that India, alongside Russia, appears to have been “misplaced” to China. This got here after Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese language President Xi Jinping throughout a safety summit in China.
Earlier this week, Xi hosted greater than 20 leaders of non-Western international locations – together with Modi and Putin – for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit within the Chinese language port metropolis of Tianjin. It was Modi’s first go to to China in seven years, signalling a thaw between the 2 Asian powers.
“Seems like we’ve misplaced India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. Could they’ve a protracted and affluent future collectively!” Trump wrote in a social media submit, with a photograph of Modi alongside Xi and Putin.
When requested by reporters afterward Friday about his remarks, Trump downplayed his earlier assertion, saying he didn’t assume the US had misplaced India to China.
“I don’t assume we have now,” he mentioned. “I’ve been very disillusioned that India could be shopping for a lot oil, as you already know, from Russia. And I allow them to know that.”
Trump insisted that he “will at all times be associates with Modi”, including that “India and america have a special relationship“. “There’s nothing to fret about,” he mentioned.
Since his first time period in workplace, Trump and Modi, each right-wing populists, have shared a powerful bond.
However lately, Trump additionally appeared irritated at New Delhi as he sought credit score for what he mentioned was Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy for brokering peace between Pakistan and India following the worst battle in many years between the nuclear-armed neighbours in Could.
India, which adamantly rejects any third-party mediation on Kashmir, has since given the chilly shoulder to Trump on the matter.
Trump has additionally been pissed off at his lack of ability to persuade Russia and Ukraine to succeed in an finish to their battle, greater than three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
