External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the India-US relationship.
“PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I can’t say more than that. But that’s really what I would say,” Jaishankar said.
His remarks came shortly after Prime Minister Modi responded warmly to Trump’s affirmation of India-US ties, expressing that he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates” the US President’s sentiments and positive assessment of the bilateral relations. Taking to X, PM Modi noted India-US ties as “forward-looking” towards a “Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership”.
“Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,” the Prime Minister stated in his post.
Earlier on Friday (local time), President Trump, while making an announcement in the White House, called the India-US ties a “very special relationship” and affirmed that he and PM Modi would always be friends, asserting that there is “nothing to worry about”. However, he expressed displeasure over what “he (PM Modi) is doing” in contemporary times. When asked by ANI, “Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?”, US President Trump said, “I always will. I’ll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion.”
The US President also responded to his post on Truth Social, where he called out losing ‘India and Russia to China’, saying that he does not think that has happened. He said while responding to a media query by ANI, “I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India – 50 per cent, a very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago; in fact, we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference.”
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson underlined the importance of the bilateral relationship with Washington during a weekly press briefing on Friday. “This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties,” Randhir Jaiswal said. “This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests,” he added.
