"Trump Respects India, PM Modi A Lot": US Congressman To NDTV Amid Tariff Row

US President Donald Trump "respects" India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi "a lot", US Congressman Michael Baumgartner said amid the strained ties between the two countries over soaring tariffs. Mr Baumgartner asserted that while there may be bumps on the way, India and the US will come to a "successful conclusion" soon and rebuild their relations.

"We know President Trump is a dealmaker, and he has a lot of respect for India. He also enjoyed his trip to India very much a few years ago. He values the relationship with PM Modi. I'm very optimistic that it will be worked out. There may be some bumps along the way, but it will come to a successful conclusion," Mr Baumgartner told NDTV.

According to Mr Baumgartner, the higher tariffs on India show that sometimes one has to ask more from friends.

"Well, I think sometimes you have to ask more of your friends, and it should really be interpreted, I think, as a sign of respect towards India that America is asking more of India. I can understand that there may be frustrations looking at it from the Indian lens, but look at what America is trying to achieve and what President Trump is trying to achieve. And so the message I've communicated to your leaders is simply that the fundamentals between our two countries are very strong," he said.

#NDTVExclusive | "India and US ties are very strong, President Trump respects India, PM Modi a lot": US Congressman Michael Baumgartner (@RepBaumgartner) to @gauried pic.twitter.com/1ZhEAVLnve

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India and US ties had strained in recent weeks after the Trump administration imposed secondary tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, and reportedly also over New Delhi denying his peacemaking role during their recent conflict with Pakistan. The US tariffs on Indian exports now stand above 50 per cent. This is the highest tariff Trump has imposed as per his fresh list, apart from Brazil.

India condemned the "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" move by the United States - which is likely to hit many sectors such as textiles and marine exports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a strong message stressing that India would never compromise with the interests of its farmers and fishermen, adding that while he knows he will "have to pay the price", he was ready to do it for farmers.

Speaking further on the ties between the two countries, Mr Baumgartner said members of the Republican Party have "a lot of respect" for Indians and Indian companies.

"You only have to look at the Indian Americans who are doing so many dynamic things. I think we would like to see increased military engagement between the United States and India. That's a process. But the more that our two militaries integrate, the more flexibility they have and the more able they are to do things to work together to counter terrorism and other strategic issues," he said.

The US Congressman also addressed the visa complications in the US for Indians.

"I think we'd also like to see more engagement on the educational level, more Indian students coming to study in the United States. Right now, there's a bit of an issue with visas because of the new visa process. But again, the fundamentals for looking at the way the Indian students have contributed to the US economy and the way they've taken skills back here and increased that collaboration. That's another area of strong points," he said.