US Prez Trump likely to visit India next year, calls PM Modi a 'great man'

Trump's remarks come at a time when New Delhi and Washington have been trying to secure a trade deal after bilateral ties soured over Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on India

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great man” and suggesting he could visit India next year, according to Bloomberg.

 

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “He’s a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there, and we’ll figure that out, I’ll go.” His remarks come amid efforts by New Delhi and Washington to secure a trade deal following a series of tariff disputes that strained bilateral ties.

 

While Trump did not specify a timeline for his trip, he noted that the visit “could be” next year.

India-US trade talks back on track

 

Commenting on ongoing trade negotiations, Trump said the talks were “going good.” He also claimed that Modi had reduced India’s oil imports from Russia, saying, “It’s great, going good. He stopped… largely, he stopped buying oil from Russia.”

 

In April 2025, Trump imposed a 26 per cent “Liberation Day” tariff on India and over 100 other countries but paused it for 90 days, offering affected nations time to strike new deals with the US. While the two sides failed to finalise a deal within that window, Trump later announced a 25 per cent tariff on India, with an additional 25 per cent duty linked to India’s Russian oil imports.

 

The US president has repeatedly said these measures were intended to discourage India’s purchase of Russian crude, which he argues fuels Moscow’s war in Ukraine. New Delhi has defended its purchases, citing energy security needs, and has not confirmed Trump’s claims of reduced dependence on Russian oil.

Quad summit in New Delhi

 

India is set to host leaders from Australia, Japan, and the US for the Quad summit in New Delhi, following the 2024 edition in Wilmington, Delaware. However, the dates for the 2025 summit are yet to be announced.

Trump cites “tariffs” for ending India-Pakistan conflict

 

During the same interaction, Trump revisited his controversial claim of having “stopped the India-Pakistan conflict” earlier this year. He said, “Of the eight wars I ended, I would say five or six were ended because of tariffs. I’ll give you an example. If you take a look at India and Pakistan, they started to fight; they are two nuclear nations... They were shooting at each other.”

 

Trump added that he warned both countries he would impose tariffs if hostilities continued. “Within 24 hours, I settled the war,” he claimed.

 

While Pakistan has publicly thanked Trump for his “intervention,” India has consistently denied any third-party mediation, saying the understanding to end hostilities was reached through direct bilateral talks.