Recent statements of Trump clearly indicate his attempt to undo the damage caused to ties with India. However, it is challenging to make any predictions regarding the US President’s future policy course. India, for its part, has followed a pragmatic approach by responding cautiously to earlier statements of Trump and senior officials in his administration.
Amid shifting global alliances and ongoing trade negotiations, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged warm words on September 9, 2025, underscoring both the strains and opportunities in the India–US partnership.
Trump, in a social media post, announced that Washington and New Delhi were “continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations.” He added that he looked forward to speaking with his “good friend” Prime Minister Modi and anticipated a “successful conclusion” for both countries.
Responding warmly, Modi highlighted the “robust relationship” between India and the US. He expressed optimism that the trade talks would help in “unlocking” the potential of the bilateral relationship and confirmed that he, too, looked forward to speaking with the US President.
However, even as Modi struck a conciliatory note, the rhetoric from Washington reflected underlying tensions. In an interview, Peter Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing for US President Donald Trump, while referring to BRICS, said: “..they’re like vampires sucking our blood dry with their unfair trade practices. Let’s see what happens. But I don’t see how the BRICS stays together since historically they all hate each other and kill each other.”
These apprehensions were reiterated by President Trump himself. Earlier, on September 5, 2025, he had cast doubts on India’s alignment with the West, commenting on Modi’s presence at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in a social post. He said, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
Trump’s recent statements regarding India and the India-US relationship
While the exchange between Trump and Modi highlights the importance of the India-US relationship and the understanding on both sides that the bilateral relationship is too important to be reduced to any single issue. Several US politicians, including Republicans, have been critical of Trump’s approach vis-à-vis India. Former US National Security Advisor (NSA), during the Biden Administration, Jack Sullivan, while criticising Trump, said that apart from several synergies between both countries in areas like “trade, technology, and economics”. India also remains an important partner in countering the “threat from China”. Sullivan also accused the Trump administration of harming the US-India bilateral relationship, which has had bipartisan support, because of his family’s business deals in Pakistan.
On the Indian side, while New Delhi is seeking to reduce tensions with Beijing, there is a clear understanding amongst policy makers as well as large sections of the strategic community in India that despite some of the encouraging developments of the last few weeks, including PM Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, there are strong differences between both countries not just in the strategic sphere but also in the economic domain, underscoring the need to avoid unrealistic expectations in the context of India-China ties.
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Recent statements of Trump clearly indicate his attempt to undo the damage caused to ties with India in recent weeks and months. However, it is challenging to make any predictions regarding the US President’s future policy course. India, for its part, has followed a pragmatic approach by responding cautiously to earlier statements of Trump and senior officials in his administration.
Need for a nuanced understanding of India’s role in BRICS
The criticism of BRICS by Navarro and several officials in the Trump administration is simplistic. India, which will hold BRICS Presidency in 2026, has refrained from taking a zero-sum approach vis-à-vis the organisation and also distanced itself from “de-dollarisation” and the idea of a BRICS currency. New Delhi has been supporting trade in local currencies with several countries, but unequivocally stated, on more than one occasion, that it does not seek to undermine the US Dollar in any way.
Several other countries have also been examining BRICS as a means of diversifying their economic linkages.
Recent meeting of BRICS members
During a recent virtual meeting on September 8, 2025, of BRICS countries to discuss Trump tariffs, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the need for economic practices to be “transparent.” Jaishankar highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the Global South to deal with the geopolitical turbulence and economic uncertainties. Apart from this, he also made another important point that some of India’s biggest deficits are vis-à-vis the BRICS countries.
Two points are worth noting. First, PM Modi did not attend the virtual meeting, which is being seen as a clear indication of New Delhi’s balancing act between the US and China. Second, unlike leaders of other countries, Jaishankar refrained from criticising the US.
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In conclusion, the recent exchanges between Trump and PM Modi highlight the importance of the relationship, despite the scepticism expressed by several commentators. Moreover, it is important to have a nuanced approach vis-à-vis BRICS, as not all members of BRICS view the organisation from a zero-sum approach.
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About the author
Tridivesh Singh Maini is a New Delhi-based Policy Analyst. He is faculty member of OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat, Haryana.
