On Saturday, September 6, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his profound appreciation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s favorable evaluation of the India-U.S. partnership. This came after the American leader praised the “special” relationship shared between the two nations, remarks interpreted as an effort to mitigate the decline in bilateral ties. The Prime Minister conveyed his sentiments on social media shortly after Mr. Trump stated during a news conference at the White House that he would always maintain a friendship with Modi, although he added, without further explanation, that he disapproved of the actions taken by the Indian leader at this “particular moment.” “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” Mr. Modi remarked. He emphasized that India and the U.S. share a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership, as he noted on X. This exchange marked the first dialogue between the two leaders following their phone conversation on June 17. The relationship between New Delhi and Washington has significantly deteriorated after Mr. Trump imposed a substantial increase in tariffs on Indian goods, raising them to an unprecedented 50%, which includes an additional 25% duty on India’s acquisition of Russian crude oil. India has characterized the U.S. action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.” Earlier, when asked about the potential for the U.S. to reset its relations with India, Mr. Trump affirmed that both nations share a special relationship and stated that there is “nothing to worry about.”
“I will always be friends with Modi; he is a great Prime Minister, he’s great. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he’s doing at this particular moment,” he remarked. “However, India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about,” the U.S. president reiterated. In response to a question regarding his social media post on Thursday, September 4, 2025, which suggested that the U.S. was losing India to China, Mr. Trump stated, “I don’t think we have. I have been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil… from Russia.” “I informed them that we have imposed a substantial tariff on India — a 50% tariff, which is quite significant. As you are aware, I maintain a good relationship with Modi; he visited here a few months ago.” This statement was made shortly after the camaraderie displayed among Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held in Tianjin, China, which garnered international attention. In recent days, numerous officials from the Trump administration, including White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, have employed derogatory language aimed at India. Mr. Navarro remarked last week that India’s prominent oil lobby has transformed the largest democracy in the world into a “massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin.” On Friday, September 5, 2025, India dismissed Mr. Navarro’s comments, labeling them as “inaccurate and misleading.”
