US President Trump dials PM Modi, greets him on birthday

New Delhi: President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wished him on his birthday and thanked him for his support to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Modi and Trump spoke over the phone after recent exchanges of positive vibes between the two leaders on social media platforms, and both sides made attempts to bring the relations back from the brink.

The call from the White House in Washington, D.C, to the 7 Lok Kalyan Marg came just a few hours after India and the US restarted negotiations for a trade deal.

“Thank you, my friend, President Trump, for your phone call and warm greetings on my 75th birthday. Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights,” Modi posted on X after the phone call, adding: “We support your initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”

“Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I wished him a very Happy Birthday! He is doing a tremendous job. Narendra: Thank you for your support on ending the War between Russia and Ukraine!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington, D.C. came under stress, as Trump last month imposed a 50% tax on all imports from India to the US. The tariff on India’s exports to the US included a 25% tax, which the Trump Administration imposed as a penalty for the South Asian nation’s continued purchase of oil from Russia.

Modi and Trump wrote on social media platforms on September 10 that they were looking forward to speaking with each other. They also stated that the officials from the two governments were working to conclude negotiations for a trade deal soon.

With no breakthrough in the negotiations on the proposed trade deal between New Delhi and Washington, D.C., Trump had on July 30 announced a 25% tariff on all goods exported by India to the US. He had also slammed New Delhi for buying defence hardware and energy from Russia, despite the former Soviet Union nation’s special military operations in Ukraine.

He had followed it up on July 31 by calling the economies of India and Russia ‘dead’. He had then announced on August 6 that an additional 25% duty would be levied on all US imports from India, thus totalling the tariffs at 50%.

He drew flak in the US itself – not only from Democrats but also from his fellow Republicans – for imposing high tariffs on India, which they said might push the South Asian nation closer to China and Russia. His close aides, like Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing Pete Navarro and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, however, continued to hit out at India, particularly for buying energy from Russia.

Apart from Trump’s tariff tirade, what also riled New Delhi is the US president's repeated claims that he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan when the two South Asian neighbours had gone to the brink of a war between May 7 and 10. Though Modi, himself, refuted the claim, Trump continued to repeat it. Besides, Trump had also hosted the Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at the White House, although New Delhi had accused him of provoking the April 22 terrorist attacks at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir with an incendiary speech against India.