Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: In a complete u-turn, US President Donald Trump at White House press conference on September 5, said, “I’ll always be friends” with Prime Minister Modi” and called him a great Prime Minister. “He’s a great Prime Minister. He’s great. 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 special relationship. There’s nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasions,” he added.
Hours after Trump’s remarks, Indian PM Modi reciprocated by posting on his X handle, “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.”
PM Modi’s comments came hours after President Trump took a positive view when asked whether he blamed anyone for losing India to China and he responded saying, “I don’t think we have.” He added that he gets “along very well” with PM Modi but was very disappointed with India over New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.
“I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia, and let them know that we put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, very hot tariff,” he noted. Earlier in the day, Trump posted a picture of PM Modi along with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that India and Russia seem to have been “lost” 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 on Truth Social.
