NEW DELHI, Oct 22: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend Diwali greetings and discuss key global and trade related issues.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings,” Prime Minister Modi wrote on X. “On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms,” he added.
Addressing reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump said he had a “great conversation” with his “great friend” Prime Minister Modi. “I just spoke to your prime minister today. We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that,” Trump remarked, noting that both leaders also discussed regional peace, including relations with Pakistan.
The US President praised India’s recent decision to halt oil imports from Russia, calling it “a positive step” that could help promote peace in Ukraine. “We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade,” Trump said.
Recently, the US administration under Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports raising the cumulative tariff to 50% as part of its broader effort to discourage Russian crude purchases and push for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.