Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed cooperation on defense, trade, energy, and critical technologies in their first phone call since June, according to a statement by the Indian government.
The two leaders, who last met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit three months ago, “exchanged views on regional and international developments and discussed ongoing efforts to promote global peace and security”, the statement said Wednesday.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor posted on social media Wednesday that the call was “very good” without elaborating.
Separately, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Thursday he met his US counterpart on the sidelines of a G20 trade ministers’ meeting in Milwaukee in an effort to finalize an interim trade deal.
US-India ties have faced recurrent strain over tariff tensions and Trump’s claims that he helped mediate an end to fighting between India and Pakistan last year, an account New Delhi has repeatedly disputed.
Relations have improved in recent months, with the two governments stepping up high-level engagement and Washington easing tariffs on Indian goods. Still, negotiations on a broader trade agreement remain unfinished despite the two sides agreeing to broad contours of an interim trade deal earlier this year.
The talks face fresh complications from a new US law giving Trump the power to impose levies of as much as 100% on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. India has warned that such measures could hurt bilateral ties and disrupt global energy markets.
India has generally been pushing to diversify its trade partnerships.
During Wednesday’s phone call, Modi and Trump “reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and agreed to maintain close engagement to deepen cooperation”, the statement added.
The conversation between the two leaders comes as Modi faces strains at home. India’s opposition parties said they will organize protest marches across the country this month, stepping up pressure to remove the top election official over a controversial overhaul of electoral rolls.
–With assistance from Swati Pandey and Michael Heath.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.