Rudra Chaudhuri
On Feb. 2, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that after speaking with his “dear friend President Trump,” Indian goods imported by the United States would now enjoy a reduced tariff of 18 percent. U.S. President Donald Trump was similarly warm in his follow-up social media post, writing, “out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a trade deal between the United States and India.” The president added that Modi was one of his “greatest friends.”
The broad contours of a deal were discussed on a phone call between the two leaders on Jan. 27. A joint statement was published on Feb. 6. A White House fact sheet authored by the Trump administration alone was published a few days later. Even now, the terms of the “deal” are being debated within India. Details are still being clarified; naysayers argue that the United States has essentially arm-twisted India into deprioritizing its relations with Russia.
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