'India-US Have Special Relationship': Trump Reaffirms Ties With Modi Despite Tariff Tensions

As trade tensions simmer between India and the United States amid an escalating tariff war, US President Donald Trump has struck a conciliatory tone regarding the broader relationship between the two nations.

Responding to a question from ANI about the possibility of resetting ties with India, President Trump emphasised his personal bond with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while also voicing concerns about current policy decisions:

"I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great... I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment, but India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about."

Trump's comments come against the backdrop of rising economic friction. Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Tianjin, Trump had recently said New Delhi and Moscow "have been lost" to China.

"Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together," Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social, while sharing an image of Modi, Xi and Putin.

The comment by Trump comes as PM Modi, Putin and Jinping were seen together SCO Summit. Analysts labelled the image as “powerful optics” to reflect Russia-China’s support for India amid the US tensions.

Notably, the India-US ties plunged to the lowest in decades after Trump imposed tariffs as high as 50% on Indian imports, and made remarks publicly to target the country. His trade advisor, Peter Navarro, went on to describe the Ukraine war as "Modi's war", and alleged that the business elites in India are primarily benefitting from the discounted crude purchased from Russia.