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Amid negotiations for a trade deal that had stalled for weeks following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on India by the US, President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday, their third phone conversation in a little over a month.
While Modi flagged the issue of combating terrorism, Trump said they discussed trade and India’s move to cut purchase of Russian oil. The President said this in the presence of Vinay Kwatra, India’s Ambassador to the US, who was among those at the White House for the Diwali celebrations there.
Sources said Trump plans to travel to Kuala Lumpur for the summits of ASEAN and East Asia leaders on October 26-27. He will leave for Japan on October 27 for a bilateral visit until October 29, and then be in South Korea on October 29-30 for the summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders.
Modi’s plans of travelling to Kuala Lumpur are still evolving because of the elections in Bihar and his campaign schedule. If he decides to be at the summit, he is expected to leave for Kuala Lumpur late October 26 and be there until October 28. That opens a window for a meeting with Trump, possibly on October 27, on the sidelines of the summit.
Both Delhi and Washington have not yet announced the travel plans of the two leaders, but Malaysia, the host nation, has said both Trump and Modi will be attending the ASEAN and East Asia summits.
Also Read | Trump says he spoke with PM Modi on trade amid Diwali celebrations at White House
Confirming the phone conversation, Modi, in a post on X, said, “Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms.”
His post, which tagged Trump and the office of the US President, came hours after Trump addressed Indian-Americans at the White House and celebrated Diwali at the Oval Office.
“I just spoke to your Prime Minister today. We had a great conversation. We talked about trade. We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade. He’s very interested in that,” Trump said.
He reiterated his earlier claim that the Prime Minister had assured him India will not buy much oil from Russia and that he, too, wants the Russia-Ukraine war to end.
“We just have a very good relationship, and he’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as with Russia and Ukraine. And as you know, they are not going to be buying too much oil. So, they have cut it way back, and they are continuing to cut it way back,” he said.
The Diwali celebration at the White House was attended by prominent Indian-Americans, Ambassador Kwatra, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, US Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor, and some top Indian-American business leaders.
Calling Modi a “great friend”, Trump said India and the US were working on “some great deals”.
“Let me extend our warmest wishes to the people of India. I just spoke to your Prime Minister today. Had a great conversation. We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that. Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing,” he said.
“He (Modi) is a great person, and he has become a great friend of mine over the years.” Highlighting the symbolic importance of the festival, Trump said, “In a few moments, we will light the diya as a symbol of faith in the victory of light over darkness… It’s knowledge over ignorance and good over evil. During Diwali, the revellers recall ancient stories of enemies defeated, obstacles removed, and captives freed.”
As he lit a lamp at the Oval Office, he called it a “symbol of faith” and said “the glow of the diya flame reminds us to seek the path of wisdom and to work with diligence and to always give thanks for our many blessings”.
The phone call Tuesday was the third in a little over a month. Trump spoke to Modi on September 16, ahead of the PM’s 75th birthday to wish him, and they spoke again on October 9 on the Gaza peace plan.
On October 16, after Trump claimed that Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing Russian oil, the government had said that its import policies were guided entirely by the objective to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.
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