U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced optimism about reaching a trade deal on Tuesday, softening rhetoric after months of friction over tariffs and Russian oil purchases.
The turnaround also came as reports emerged that Trump had asked the European Union to impose 100% tariffs on India and China over their Russian oil purchases, in a bid to put pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
Modi said negotiations with Washington would unlock the “limitless potential of the India-US partnership”. He added that both leaders will speak in the upcoming weeks.
Modi was responding to a post by Trump on Truth Social, which said that New Delhi and Washington were continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers between both nations.
“I look forward to speaking with my good friend, Prime minister Modi in the upcoming weeks,” Trump said, adding he saw “no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries”.
