'Had a great conversation': Trump speaks to PM Modi, extends Diwali greetings

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey Diwali greetings, saying the two leaders had a "great conversation" covering trade and regional stability. "Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings," Modi said in a post on X. "On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms."

The phone call comes amid a tense phase in US-India relations following Trump's decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods, of which 25 per cent is for crude imports from Russia.

At a Diwali celebration at the White House on Tuesday, Trump praised Modi and the people of India, describing the relationship as "very good." "I just spoke to your prime minister today. We had a great conversation. We talked about trade. We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade. He's very interested in that," Trump told Indian-American community members gathered in the Oval Office.

Describing Modi as "a great person" and "a great friend of mine over the years," Trump said the discussion also touched upon India-Pakistan relations. "We did talk a little while ago about let's have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing," he said.

Trump reiterated his claim that India "will not be buying too much oil from Russia," asserting that Modi "wants to see the war end as much as I do." "He is not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see the war end between Russia and Ukraine," Trump said. “And as you know, they're not going to be buying too much oil, so they've cut it way back, and they're continuing to cut it way back," he added.

India, however, maintains that it is "broad-basing and diversifying" its energy sourcing based on market conditions. New Delhi had earlier described the US tariffs as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable."

At the event, Trump also acknowledged the contributions of Indian-American business leaders, mentioning Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. “The Indian American business leaders, the biggest in the world... Really, if you look at these companies, what they've done... they’re the biggest in the world,” he said.

FBI Director Kash Patel, who attended the celebration, said, "I am a first-generation Indian-American whose parents lawfully immigrated to the US. And under your leadership, so many more millions of Americans are living that dream."