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President Trump said the United States and India will continue negotiating the terms of their trade agreement, less than two weeks after the U.S. president slapped a new round of tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi his “very good friend” and said they would be speaking in the “upcoming weeks.”
“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,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”
The statement marks a shift in tone from the U.S. president, who, just last week, said India offered to cut their tariff rates on U.S. imports to zero, but added, “it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.”
Trump late last month added a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for buying Russian oil, which India has defended as financially necessary to meet the energy needs of its populous country. That raised the overall tariff rate to 50 percent, since India already faced a 25 percent “reciprocal” tariff.
Some analysts have said Trump’s steep tariffs and his souring attitude toward Modi have inadvertently led India to seek closer ties with Russia and China. Modi met early last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Late last week, Trump said in a social media post, “We’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” He later backtracked, however, when asked whether he thinks he “lost India,” telling a reporter, “I don’t think we have.”
“I always will. I’ll always be friends with Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment,” Trump said at the White House late last week.
“But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion,” Trump added.
Modi responded to the statement on Saturday, saying he deeply appreciates and reciprocates Trump’s “sentiments and positive assessment of our ties.”
