NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi spoke to US President Donald Trump and congratulated him on the success of the “historic” Gaza peace plan. Addressing Trump as ‘my friend’, Modi said they reviewed “good progress” ach-ieved in trade negotiations.“Agreed to stay in close to-uch over the coming weeks,” the PM posted on X, hinting at a possible meeting in the near future. The leaders will likely run into each other in Malaysia this month if they choose to attend Asean and East Asia summit meetings but so far neither has officially confirmed participation.
According to a Politico report, Trump has conditioned his participation on Malaysia agreeing to allow him to preside over a ceremonial signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand.That Modi chose to say the trade negotiations have seen good progress is significant and suggests both sides could still spring a surprise by reaching an agreement. External affairs minister S Jaishankar had said on Sunday that India and the US had not reached a landing ground. While he stressed that India wouldn’t compromise on the red lines it had drawn, Jaishankar warned against reading too much into trade differences as other aspects of the relationship were unaffected.India remains wary of the additional 25% tariffs imposed by Trump for its oil trade with Russia and India is expected to factor that in before a summit-level meeting.Modi and Trump had last spoken on Sept 16, when the US president called the PM to wish him on his birthday and praised him for doing a “tremendous job”. Since the announcement of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Modi has on several occasions endorsed the initiative. He had earlier backed “decisive progress”, saying indications of the release of hostages marked a significant step forward.Earlier in the day, Modi joined UK PM Keir Starmer in expressing support for the US peace plan for Gaza and their commitment to working with regional partners to secure an immediate and lasting ceasefire. The leaders also backed release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid, and their shared commitment to a “lasting and just peace as a step towards a Two-State solution, with a safe & secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state”.
