New Delhi is proceeding with caution after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to soften his tone against India following weeks of tensions between the two nations marked by the Trump administration's 50% tariffs on goods from the South Asian country.
Trump said at the White House on Friday there was "nothing to worry about” with U.S.-India ties and the two countries had a "special relationship.” He called Narendra Modi a "great prime minister” and said he would always be friends with him. Modi responded hours later with a post on X, saying he "deeply” appreciated and reciprocated the sentiments.
Officials in New Delhi said they viewed Trump’s comments as positive, but unlike in the past, Modi didn’t refer to the U.S. president as a friend, suggesting the prime minister was proceeding with caution. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Trump’s comments don’t signify a resetting in ties, and they would wait for more reassuring signals from Washington before relations can return to normal.
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