PM, Trump discuss trade ties, days after Putin visit

In their first contact in two months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke over phone on Thursday, discussing expansion of cooperation in trade, critical technologies, energy, defence and security.

The call came less than a week after India hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the annual leaders’ summit on December 4-5, an event that drew global attention.

“Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations, and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on X.

The two leaders, who last spoke on October 9, reviewed the progress of the “India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership”. They expressed satisfaction at the steady strengthening of bilateral cooperation across all domains and agreed to work closely to address shared challenges and advance common interests.

The conversation also came amid the US Congress’ Senate Foreign Affairs committee hearing where lawmakers questioned Trump’s policy of alienating India and imposing tariffs. A carpooling picture of Modi and Putin also figured during the Congress discussion. “This poster is worth a thousand words," said US representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, pointing towards the image as she slammed the Trump administration's foreign policy towards India.

The India-US relationship has been strained since Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025, followed by another 25 per cent punitive tariffs for the purchase of Russian crude oil.

The PM and President Trump today underlined the importance of “sustaining momentum in shared efforts to enhance bilateral trade”. The two leaders also discussed various regional and global developments, and agreed to work closely to address shared challenges and advance common interests.

Already, a US trade delegation is in New Delhi on a three-day visit (December 10-12) for talks to finalise a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). The agreement was first discussed during Modi’s visit to Washington in February and both sides had then set September target to finalise the deal.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met US Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer in New Delhi on Wednesday. They discussed economic and technology partnership, ongoing trade negotiations, and opportunities to boost two-way trade and resilient supply chains.

Both sides have kept the dialogue open, continuing with several rounds of negotiations. India remained hopeful that the first tranche of the agreement would be finalised within the next few months, despite delays, said an official.