Trump expresses confidence in India-US trade deal, calls PM Modi a 'close friend'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was confident that India and the United States would conclude a favourable Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a respected leader and a personal friend.

Trump made the remarks in an interaction with Moneycontrol after his address at the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, where he was asked about the progress of the India-US trade negotiations.

“I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He’s a fantastic man and a friend of mine, and we are going to have a good deal,” Trump said.

His comments come amid ongoing negotiations between the two countries on the proposed BTA, which aims to significantly expand bilateral trade. Earlier, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the first tranche of the agreement was “very near”, though he did not indicate a specific timeline for its conclusion.

The Bilateral Trade Agreement was formally proposed in February following directions from the leadership of both countries and seeks to more than double India-US trade from the current USD 191 billion to USD 500 billion by 2030.

Negotiations were first announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Washington in February 2025, after which multiple rounds of talks have been held between officials from both sides.

On January 9, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated the commitment of both countries to finalising the agreement. “India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as 13th of February last year. That is, since then, two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement,” the MEA said.

“On several occasions, we have been close to a deal,” the MEA spokesperson added.