Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he deeply appreciates the positive assessment made by President Donald Trump on the relations between India and the US.
In a social media post, Modi said both India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership.
“Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” he said.
Modi’s response came after Trump, who has been targeting New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil over the last few weeks, affirmed on Friday that India and the US have a “very special” relationship.
Trump said he would always be friends with Modi and also called him a “great prime minister”.
“I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion,” the President said during a media interaction at the White House.
The India-US relations witnessed a dramatic downturn last month after Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of cheap Russian oil.
The US President has been accusing India of funding Russia’s war in Ukraine through its trade deals with Moscow.
Trump’s latest remarks came after Modi travelled to Japan and China and met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The show of bonhomie between Modi, Xi and Putin was seen by many as a message to Trump that India is keen on looking for other options instead of caving in to US pressure.