President of the United States Donald Trump called the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wish him on his 75th birthday. The phone call followed soon after a round of “positive and forward-looking” trade talks concluded between the two countries. Readers would know the US team is currently in India to progress “mutually beneficial” bilateral trade agreement.
In his message, Donald Trump highlighted the long-standing friendship between the United States and India, and commended Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in advancing India’s global role. He extended heartfelt greetings for Prime Minister Modi’s continued good health, prosperity, and success in serving the people of India.
“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 towards ending the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Donald Trump said in a social media post.
Prime Minister Modi, acknowledging the message, expressed appreciation for the warm wishes from President Donald Trump. He emphasized the enduring ties between the people of India and the United States, and reiterated his commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation founded on shared democratic values and mutual respect.
“Thank you, my friend, President Trump, for your phone call and warm greetings on my 75th birthday. Like you, I am fully committed to taking the India-US comprehensive and global partnership to new heights,” Modi posted on X.
Highlighting India’s role as a global advocate for peace, Prime Minister Modi also voiced India’s support for Trump’s initiatives towards finding a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The India-US trade agreement was announced in February 2025 with an aim to conclude the first tranche by November this year.
Led by Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch, the US team is visiting India to hold trade talks aiming to achieve the November deadline. The US team held a day-long meeting with its Indian counterpart at Vanijya Bhawan New Delhi. The Indian team is led by India’s Chief Negotiator and Special Secretary in the Commerce and Industry Ministry Rajesh Agrawal.
This was the first meeting between both sides following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs by the US on Indian goods. Not only India, the US also described the talks to be “positive” for the proposed bilateral trade deal.
“…Lynch had a positive meeting in Delhi with his counterpart Agrawal to discuss next steps in bilateral trade negotiations,” a spokesperson for the US embassy said.
The bilateral trade between the two countries is hugely in favour of the US. In 2024-25, while India exported goods worth $86.5 to the US, the imports from the US stood at $131.84 billion. The US was the largest trading partner of India for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25.
Talks would continue between both sides in the virtual mode.
Observers believe this development is a significant step towards mending trade ties between the two countries which were strained when the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on select Indian goods which included 25 per cent penalty linked to India’s oil purchase from Russia.
Analysts believe the imposed tariffs impact approximately $48 billion of India’s exports to the US and with potential to shave the country’s GDP by 0.5 per cent.
Earlier, a planned US delegation visit to New Delhi from August 25-29 for the sixth round of negotiations was abruptly postponed amid escalating tensions. The US’ push for access to India’s agriculture and dairy market, which are “red lines for India” has been another bottleneck in the progress of bilateral trade relations.