Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke in a phone call on Monday, Modi said in a post on X, the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump’s inauguration last week.

“We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership,” Modi said in the post, adding that he also congratulated his “dear friend” on his historic second term in office.

“We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” Modi said.

The United States is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade between the two countries surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a trade surplus of $32bn.

Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the two leaders as early as February, Reuters reported last week.

India, a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade relations with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas.