US President Donald Trump said he intends to speak to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “in the coming weeks” and expressed optimism that the two leaders would be able to reach an agreement to resolve a blistering trade fight.
Advertisement
“I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday.
“I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!,” he added.
Trump’s comments offering a positive appraisal of relations between Washington and New Delhi come even as the US president is pressuring European Union leaders to join him in ratcheting up tariffs on India and China to punish the countries for Russian energy buys.
Trump told EU officials during a meeting earlier on Tuesday that he was prepared to join them if they imposed sweeping new tariffs on India and China in a bid to raise pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to join ceasefire talks with Ukraine, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Advertisement
The US is willing to mirror tariffs imposed by Europe on either country, one of the people said.
07:23
Xi Jinping urges SCO summit members’ cooperation and the setting up of a development bank
Xi Jinping urges SCO summit members’ cooperation and the setting up of a development bank