President Trump wishes friend PM Modi on birthday

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of his 75th birthday to extend warm wishes. PM Modi thanked his “friend” Trump and reiterated India’s commitment to strengthening ties with the United States. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “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 Global Partnership to new heights. We support your initiatives for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”

The phone call comes just days after the US President announced the resumption of trade talks with India. “I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers between our two nations,” he posted on Truth Social on September 9.“I am confident that there will be no difficulty in reaching a successful conclusion for both of our great countries,” Trump added.

For the first time since the imposition of the steep tariffs, the two sides on Tuesday discussed the next steps in bilateral trade negotiations, described by Washington as "positive". The resumption of talks for the trade deal signalled an intent by the two sides to find common ground and narrow their differences on a range of issues amid efforts to check the downturn in the ties.