I’ll Always Be Friends with Modi”: Trump Says ‘Nothing to Worry’ About India-U.S. Ties
I’ll Always Be Friends with Modi”: Trump Says ‘Nothing to Worry’ About India-U.S. Ties
Amid growing strains in Washington-Delhi relations, U.S. President Donald Trump has said there is “nothing to worry” about the future of India-U.S. ties, emphasizing the “special relationship” between the two nations.
“I’ll always be friends with (Narendra) Modi… He’s a great Prime Minister. He’s great. But I just don’t like what he’s doing at this particular moment,” Trump said on Friday (September 5, 2025) at the Oval Office. He was responding to questions about whether he was prepared to reset ties with India, which analysts say are going through their worst phase in two decades.
The tensions largely stem from U.S. discontent over India’s purchase of Russian oil and disputes on tariffs. “I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia, and I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India—50%, a very high tariff,” Trump added.
His remarks came days after his post on Truth Social suggested the U.S. was losing India and Russia to China. “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” he wrote, sharing an old photograph of Modi alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The post followed the three leaders’ display of camaraderie at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.
Despite the sharp rhetoric, Trump sought to strike a positive note, stressing that India-U.S. differences are temporary. “We just have moments on occasion,” he said. On trade negotiations, he insisted, “They are going great. Other countries are doing great. We’re doing great with all of them. We’re upset with the European Union because of what’s happening with not just Google, but with all of our big companies.”
