WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has stated that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a phone call where they discussed having “no wars with Pakistan,” amid ongoing negotiations for a trade deal aimed at mending strained ties between the two countries, Dawn.com reported Relations between the US and India plummeted in August when Trump raised tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent and US officials accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying Moscow’s discounted oil.

However, participating in a Diwali celebration at the White House on Tuesday, President Trump said he had a “great conversation” with Modi over the phone.

“We talked about trade — we talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade, he’s very interested in that. Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan,” he said.

The US president has repeatedly claimed credit for ending a conflict between Pakistan and India earlier this year. India has denied the claim that the US president was responsible for brokering the ceasefire via trade threats.

US president repeats ‘unconfirmed claim’ that India is cutting back on purchases of discounted Russian oil

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has praised Trump for his “leadership and proactive role” in helping the two neighbours achieve peace in the region.

“I think the fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that — and we have no war with Pakistan and India and that was a very, very good thing,” Trump said. He also called Modi a “great person”, saying that he had become a great friend of his over the years.

Modi thanked the US president for his phone call and Diwali greetings. “On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms,” he said in a post on X.

The US president also stated that Modi was keen to see the end of the Russia-Ukraine war and repeated the claim, he first made on Oct 15, that India would cut Russian oil purchases. New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied any policy shift.

“We just have a very good relationship,” he said while talking about Modi. “And he’s not gonna buy much oil from Russia; he wants to see that war end as much as I do — he wants to see the war end between Russia and Ukraine … so they’ve cut it way back and they’re continuing to cut it way back.”

India, one of the world’s largest crude oil importers, relies on foreign suppliers for more than 85 percent of its oil needs.

Several other sources of friction have strained Washington’s relationship with India this year.

Besides Trump’s assertions about mediating the ceasefire, the Trump administration last month hiked fees for H-1B skilled-worker visas to $100,000. Indians make up roughly three-quarters of all H-1B recipients.

India has yet to secure a formal trade deal with the United States, despite being among the first nations to initiate negotiations with Washington after Trump began his second term.

Trump and Modi may yet meet this month at the ASEAN summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia, which Trump is set to attend.

New Delhi has not confirmed whether Modi will participate, as India is not a member of the 10-nation bloc, but some Indian media outlets have reported that he may attend.

With input from AFP

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2025