'Trump has great respect for PM Modi; they speak frequently': White House on India-US trade talks

The White House has reaffirmed President Donald Trump's commitment to strengthening India-US relations even as tensions continue to linger over tariffs and India's oil export from Russia.

 

"The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to the Prime Minister directly when he celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with many high-ranking Indian-American officials here at the White House," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

 

Hailing the US's new ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, Leavitt said Trump's team is engaged in "very serious discussions" with New Delhi to get a consensus on a trade deal..

 

"I know the President has great respect for Prime Minister Modi and they speak pretty frequently," she added. 

 

The White House's assertion of progress in trade dialogue came days after Trump claimed that India had assured that it would significantly reduce its oil imports from Russia.

 

Reducing Russian oil purchases was a major demand of the Trump administration to continue trade talks with India, as Washington has been accusing New Delhi of funding Moscow's war machine in Ukraine.

 

India has maintained that its energy policy is guided by its national interest, especially by ensuring affordable and secure supplies for its consumers.

 

India-US relations have been reeling under severe strain after Trump imposed a 25 per cent punitive tariff on Indian goods, raising the total levy to a whopping 50 per cent.

 

The US president's repeated claim of having brokered a peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, too, has angered New Delhi, which maintains that the ceasefire decision was taken bilaterally and no third party had any role in it.

India