- Sergio Gor praised the unique friendship between Trump and Prime Minister Modi
- Trump praises PM Modi even when criticising India on trade matters, Gor said
- India-US trade deal's first part expected to be finalised by November
Sergio Gor, US President Donald Trump's pick to be the next US ambassador to India has said the friendship shared between the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "unique" and that they have an "incredible relationship".
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he explained how Mr Trump praises PM Modi even when he is criticising his country - India on matters related to trade.
Responding to a question posed by Senator Bill Hagerty, he said, "In fact, if you have noticed when he has gone after other nations, he tends to go after their leaders for putting us in that position and for the United States imposing those tariffs". In contrast, he added, "When the president has been critical of India, he has gone out of his way to compliment Prime Minister Modi."
Mr Gor also mentioned that Washington and New Delhi are "not that far apart" from reaching a deal on tariffs, but said that the oil trade between India and Russia remains a "top priority" for the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump wrote on social media that the two countries are "continuing negotiations" regarding the trade barriers and that there will be "no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion" in trade talks.
"I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!", Mr Trump wrote.
Responding on X, PM Modi called the US a close friend and a natural partner. The Prime Minister said the trade talks would help unlock the limitless potential of the India-US partnership and assured that both teams were working to conclude the discussions quickly.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday told ANI that the first part of the India-US trade deal is expected to be finalised by November.
"In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump together instructed us that the ministers of both sides should make a good agreement by November," Mr Goyal said.
He explained that discussions between the two countries are moving in a positive direction and both sides are satisfied with the progress so far.
