PM Modi responds to Trump's 'looking forward to speak'remark

India and the US are natural partners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump's conciliatory post in which he described the Indian leader as a "dear friend" and signalled fresh momentum in stalled trade talks.PM Modi wrote on X. "I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest."     The comments came hours after Trump, in a Truth Social post, said trade negotiations with India were continuing and expressed optimism about an eventual breakthrough.

Earlier, signalling a thaw in the bilateral chill between India and the US, President Donald Trump has said he feels “certain” that there will be "no difficulty" for the two countries to come to a “successful conclusion” in trade talks and he looks forward to speaking with his "very good friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, the US president said he was "pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations." "I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” he said. 

The comments follow months of turbulent negotiations, including the US decision to double tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, even as Trump acknowledged that New Delhi had offered to cut its tariffs on US goods to zero, though he argued the move came “too late.”