New Delhi: Thursday’s phone conversation between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump was the first since Indian trade negotiators, led by commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, returned from Washington, where external affairs minister S Jaishankar also held talks. Official and political circles unanimously felt that Modi would not have broached the ticklish issue of trade during the conversation prompted by peace deal over Gaza, had he not been convinced of softening of the US stand.But it was also felt that government would tread cautiously because of its experience with a mercurial Trump administration. “It will depend on a whole lot of things,” said a senior official when asked about speculation over the likelihood of Modi and Trump meeting on the sidelines of East Asia Summit scheduled for Oct 26 in Malaysia.
On Thursday, Modi referred to Trump as “my friend”, something he had avoided in his replies to earlier posts by the American president. Goyal had visited the US following US chief negotiator Brendan Lynch’s “goodwill trip” to New Delhi mid-Sept after Trump and Modi responded to each other’s messages on X. How the two nations navigate the challenge of Russian oil purchases by India will be critical to reaching a deal, as Trump wants New Delhi to stop it, while the government wants to retain its autonomy. Given the growing demand for energy, India wants to purchase more of American oil and gas, while also keeping other channels open.
