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Donald Trump
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Trump says he will visit India’s Modi despite tariff tiff: ‘he’s a friend of mine’

The US president had warm words for India’s prime minister, but tensions over trade and a recent conflict with Pakistan remain unresolved

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump embrace during a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. Photo: AFP
Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump has said he will visit India at the urging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latest sign of a possible thaw in a trade dispute that has soured the two countries’ relationship.

“He’s a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there, and we’ll figure that out, I’ll go,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, calling Modi a “great man”.

Trump said the visit “could be” next year but otherwise declined to provide a timeline for a trip.

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“I do not have anything on this to share,” Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said at a briefing in New Delhi on Friday regarding Trump’s visit. “I will let you know when I have.”

Trump earlier this year slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India’s exports to the US in part to pressure Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. Photo: Reuters
Trump earlier this year slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India’s exports to the US in part to pressure Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. Photo: Reuters
During his visit to the White House in February, Modi had invited Trump to India.
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