Deeply appreciate Trump's sentiments, says PM Modi after US President's 'good friends' comment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he reciprocates US President Donald Trump's sentiments and positive assessments of the ties between the two countries.

In a post on X, Modi said India and US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.



On Friday, Trump had said “I'll always be friends with (Narendra) Modi… He’s a great prime minister. He's great. But I just don't like what he's doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a special relationship. There's nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion."

This came only a day after posting that the US had “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” The remarks also come amid current tensions between Washington and Delhi over tariffs and purchase of Russian oil.


His Oval Office comments followed the 'lost to China' remark on Friday against the backdrop of visible bonhomie among Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at last week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. A few days later, he posted on Truth Social: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” The post was accompanied by an old photo of the three leaders together.


At the White House, Trump voiced frustration over Delhi’s energy ties with Moscow. “I've been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia, and I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff. I get along very well with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, he's great. He was here a couple of months ago,” Trump added.

Trump's comments came days after the Tianjin SCO summit, which ended on Sept 1. It showcased rare warmth between India, Russia and China.

Modi shook hands with Xi and rode in the same limo as Putin, projecting India’s strategic independence and signaling its autonomy amid Trump's criticism of purchasing Russian crude.

Donald Trump has been making scathing remarks using social media to call the US-India relationship “totally one sided” and accusing New Delhi of imposing “the highest tariffs in the world.”

India has rejected the charges as “unjustified and unreasonable,” insisting that its energy and agricultural needs cannot be compromised.

The Trump administration has imposed reciprocal tariffs of 25% on Indian goods and an additional 25% levy on oil imports linked to Russia, raising duties to 50%— among the highest globally.

Earlier this week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had also launched a sharp verbal attack on India, China and Russia, branding them “bad actors” for allegedly fueling Moscow’s war in Ukraine and dismissing the SCO summit in Tianjin as “largely performative.”