‘Modi is a good guy,’ says Trump — then comes the tariff threat over Russian oil

Speaking to reporters, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi but suggested that the Indian leader was aware of Washington’s displeasure.

“Modi is a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly,” Trump said.

The warning comes weeks after Trump and Modi held what was described as a “warm” telephonic conversation, during which they reviewed the state of India–US relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation across several strategic sectors.

According to an official statement, the two leaders assessed progress in the bilateral partnership and explored avenues to expand collaboration in trade, critical technologies, energy, defence and security.

They also “expressed satisfaction” with the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and “underlined the importance of sustaining momentum” to boost trade ties.

The statement highlighted their commitment to work closely under the India–US COMPACT framework — a 21st-century initiative aimed at accelerating military partnership, commerce and technology cooperation.

Modi later described the conversation on X as “warm and engaging”, saying the leaders discussed regional and global developments.

The renewed warning assumes significance in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent high-profile visit to India, which drew global attention for major defence and energy agreements, as well as the visibly warm personal rapport between Putin and Modi, including their much-discussed car ride from the airport to the Prime Minister’s residence.

It also comes amid heightened global energy tensions following a US strike on Venezuela, a country with one of the world’s largest oil reserves, estimated at over 303 billion barrels.