The Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump have spoken to each other eight times during 2025, even as relations between New Delhi and Washington have faced strain over tariff disputes and the proposed Free Trade Agreement.
Although the statement did not directly address recent comments made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, it appeared to counter his claim that trade talks stalled because Prime Minister Modi did not personally reach out to President Trump.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and the United States had agreed as early as February 13, 2025, to work toward a bilateral trade agreement. Since then, both sides have held several rounds of negotiations aimed at finalising a fair and mutually beneficial deal. He added that on multiple occasions, the talks came close to a conclusion, and said the portrayal of the discussions in the reported remarks was inaccurate.
Jaiswal further clarified that Modi and Trump have remained in regular contact throughout the year. He said the two leaders held eight phone conversations in 2025, during which they discussed a wide range of issues linked to the broader India US partnership. He reiterated that India continues to be keen on concluding a trade agreement that benefits both economies and remains hopeful of bringing the negotiations to a close.
The spokesperson also emphasised that the relationship between the two leaders has been cordial, noting that they have consistently interacted with mutual respect and in line with established diplomatic norms.
What Howard Lutnick said about the trade talks
Earlier, Howard Lutnick claimed that progress on the India US trade deal stalled because Prime Minister Modi did not call President Trump to finalise the agreement. Speaking on the All In podcast hosted by entrepreneur Chamath Palihapitiya, Lutnick said he had suggested that a direct call from Modi could help close the deal. According to him, India was uncomfortable with this approach, and the call never took place.
Lutnick added that the United States had already concluded trade agreements with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and that he had expected the deal with India to be finalised even earlier. He said those agreements were negotiated at higher tariff rates because the US assumed India would come on board first.
He further claimed that after these deals were announced, India reached out to signal its readiness to move forward. At that point, Lutnick said, the terms had already changed, leading him to question what India was prepared to agree to.
