- Trump called to congratulate PM Modi on his birthday and thanked him for efforts to help stop the Ukraine war
- He also praised PM Modi for doing a "tremendous job"
- PM Modi, posting on X, thanked Trump and said he was determined to take bilateral ties to "new heights"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked US President Donald Trump for his wishes ahead of the former's 75th birthday, stressing his commitment to bettering India-US ties and support for Washington's initiatives towards resolving the Ukraine conflict peacefully.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights. We support your initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict."
In response, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had a "wonderful call" with PM Modi, crediting him for doing a "tremendous job" and for India's support to the US's initiatives in resolving the Ukraine-Russia war.
PM Modi's message comes at a time the US has imposed steep trade tariffs on India, with 50 per cent duty on Indian imports, including 25 per cent duty for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, which is among the highest imposed on any country in the world. This was followed by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's warning earlier this week that New Delhi could lose its access to the American market if it refuses to purchase US-grown corn.
For the first time since the imposition of the steep tariffs, the two sides on Tuesday discussed the next steps in bilateral trade negotiations, described by Washington as "positive". The resumption of talks for the trade deal signalled an intent by the two sides to find common ground and narrow their differences on a range of issues amid efforts to check the downturn in the ties.
The decision to hold the trade talks came against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly responding to 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 Modi in the "upcoming weeks" and sounded confident that both sides would be able to seal the proposed trade deal.
The India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership comprises key initiatives in defence, trade, energy and technology. In a meeting between the leaders in February in Washington, a target of more than doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 was set.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
