During their Diwali conversation, US President Trump and Prime Minister Modi spoke about trade, India’s purchases of Russian oil, and regional challenges; the PM restates the US-India alliance and anti-terror posture.
On Wednesday morning, US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wish him a happy Diwali. He subsequently told reporters at the White House that the two spoke about trade and India’s war with Pakistan.
In contrast to his assertion last week that India will cease all of its imports of Russian crude oil, the US President indicated that New Delhi would reduce rather than terminate its purchases of Russian energy. India would not purchase “much oil from Russia,” he said.
Trump said that he and Modi “spoke about trade, we talked about a number of subjects, but principally the world of trade” in remarks made at the White House. That is of great importance to him. However, we did discuss “let us have no conflicts with Pakistan” a short time ago.
The US president said, “I believe the fact that trade was involved, I was able to speak about it then, and we had no conflict with Pakistan and India and that was a very, very positive thing.” He is a wonderful guy and has grown to be a close friend of his over the years.
Regarding India’s acquisition of Russian energy, Trump stated: “I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi…. He will not purchase a lot of oil from Russia, and we just have a great relationship. He shares my desire for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to stop.
If the two presidents spoke about trade and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil, the Indian side did not go into detail. However, according to official sources in New Delhi, the phone call did not touch on Pakistan.
Modi praised Trump for his “warm Diwali wishes and a personal phone conversation,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). According to the statement, the prime minister “reiterated India’s unflinching commitment to battling terrorism and strengthening international collaboration, and emphasized the lasting strength of the India-US friendship.”
“Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and heartfelt Diwali wishes,” the prime minister said in a post on X (previously Twitter). On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies remain together in their opposition to terrorism in all its manifestations and continue to light up the globe with hope.
The phone conversation’s substance showed that Trump has tempered his criticism of India, particularly with regard to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy. However, the discussion of his assertions about Pakistan revealed a persistent lack of trust between the two countries. The uncertainty surrounding the PM’s attendance at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur, which starts on Sunday, makes it significant.
Trump has declared his intention to visit the capital of Malaysia. Since 2014, Modi has only missed one EAS. Then-Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar represented Modi at the 2022 EAS in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. According to insiders, Modi’s presence was unlikely due to his obligations to Bihar, even though Malaysian ministers had discussed it.
The White House imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty for India’s purchase of Russian oil, which New Delhi calls unfair, unwarranted, and unreasonable. The phone call on Wednesday was the third between the two leaders since September 16 that both sides have publicly acknowledged amid intense trade negotiations.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on October 16 that it was not aware of any phone conversation between the two leaders, only hours after Trump had stated that Modi had promised him that India would cease all of its imports of Russian oil.
Vinay Kwatra, the Indian ambassador to the US, and a number of well-known business figures of Indian descent attended Trump’s Diwali party on Tuesday night.
Sergio Gor, the US ambassador-designate, met with PM Modi in New Delhi two weeks ago. Gor said after the meeting that the United States “values” its ties with India. Prior to meeting Modi, the ambassador-designate also spoke with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Trade negotiators from the US and India are reportedly closer, which might lead to the White House lowering tariffs significantly to keep Indian goods like textiles and shrimp competitive with their competitors.