PM, Trump review ties amid tariff heat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke with US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation across trade, defence, energy and critical technologies. “Had a productive conversation with President Trump. We reviewed our bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, energy, critical technologies and other areas. We agreed to maintain close engagement to take our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership forward,” the PM posted on X.
PM Modi added that the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including ongoing efforts to promote global peace and security.
The conversation comes days after Trump signed into law a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran. The legislation gives the US Government expanded powers to penalise countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and gas.
The measures are significant for India, one of the major buyers of Russian crude, as the legislation gives Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from major purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas. China is also among the leading buyers of Russian crude.
The issue has been a point of concern in India-US relations. Earlier in September, the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India had raised the potential implications of the legislation with senior US officials.
“This issue has been discussed at high levels in recent months with various US interlocutors. Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relationship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side,” the MEA had said.
The latest conversation comes against this backdrop, with both sides continuing engagement on trade, energy, defence and other areas of strategic cooperation.
