NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to recent statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, expressing his full reciprocation of the American leader’s “sentiments and positive assessment” of the bilateral relationship. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that “India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks come hours after President Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office, affirming that he would “always be friends with Modi” but also voicing displeasure with what the Indian Prime Minister was “doing at this particular moment.” Trump’s comments were widely seen as an attempt to mend fences after he posted on his social media platform earlier in the week that the U.S. had “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.”
The exchange between the two leaders occurs against a backdrop of heightened tensions, primarily stemming from trade disputes and India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil. The Trump administration has imposed significant tariffs on Indian goods, including a 50% tariff linked to India’s energy trade with Russia, which India has labeled “unjustified and unreasonable.”
Despite the friction, Prime Minister Modi’s response on social media reinforces a message of stability and continuity in the strategic partnership. The phrase “Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership” is a key part of the diplomatic lexicon used to describe the close ties between the two nations, which have deepened considerably in areas like defense cooperation and technology.
While the public dialogue between the leaders signals a desire to stabilize the relationship, foreign policy experts note that the underlying issues—including India’s assertion of strategic autonomy and its refusal to align with a singular global bloc—will continue to be a source of potential friction. However, for now, the mutual expressions of appreciation have served to de-escalate the diplomatic narrative and reaffirm the importance of the India-US relationship on the world stage.
