'Trump sees Modi as friend, both have joint interests': US official on relations with India amid tariff war

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi a friend, said US state department's Hindustani spokesperson Margaret MacLeod on Tuesday. She added that both the nations had "joint interests" and were "working on a higher level for nations' interests".
"President Trump sees him as a friend. We both (India and US) have joint interests and are working on a higher level for the nations' interests. There is a lot we can work on, be it against terrorist operations, on cooperation for advanced technologies and increasing business opportunities. Our future is very bright," she said.

On 26/11 main accused Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India, she said, "The extradition of Tahawwur Rana is a great example of the cooperation of India and USA over terrorism. 26/11 was a horrific incident and Rana should face the law and I hope this cooperation continues in future."
"President Trump hopes that there will be a good deal with India which will encourage business on the basis of justice and equality," she added.

The comments come as the two nations are set to begin talks on Bilateral Trade Agreement this week.
Trump, earlier this year, referred to PM Modi as his "great friend" while announcing the implementation of his bold retaliatory tariff measures against India.
"India, very, very tough. Very, very tough. The Prime Minister just left. He's a great friend of mine, but I said, 'You're a friend of mine, but you're not treating us right.' They charge us 52 per cent. You have to understand, we charge them almost nothing, for years and years and decades, and it was only seven years ago, when I came in, we started with China and we took in hundreds of billions of dollars from China in tariffs," he had said.
Trump, however, has now announced a 90-day pause on tariff implementation on all nations including India, except China.