Guwahati: U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration is actively negotiating with India to reduce trade barriers between the two nations.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he expects to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks and expressed confidence that the talks will benefit both countries.
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“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” Trump wrote.
His latest remarks reflect a more conciliatory tone compared to earlier criticisms. Previously, Trump warned that India and Russia appeared to be drifting closer to China, comments made after PM Modi held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
Trump later softened his stance, calling Modi a “great prime minister” and stressing that the U.S. and India “will always be friends.” In response, PM Modi thanked Trump for his kind words, saying he “deeply appreciates” the sentiment and fully shares Trump’s positive view of the U.S.-India relationship.
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Despite this diplomatic warmth, Trump has frequently voiced frustration over what he described as imbalanced trade policies. He criticized India’s trade practices and ongoing energy imports from Russia, arguing that the partnership has long favored New Delhi.
The U.S. recently escalated the trade dispute by doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent. This move came after India maintained its oil purchases from Russia, though New Delhi did offer to eliminate tariffs on certain American products, a gesture Trump said came “too late.”
India’s Chief Economic Adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, warned that the heightened tariffs could reduce India’s GDP by up to 0.5 percentage points this year.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, bilateral trade in goods between the two countries reached $129 billion in 2024, with the U.S. running a trade deficit of $45.8 billion.