Trump lights diyas as he participates in Diwali celebrations at White House, calls Modi 'great friend' amid tariff war; Indian PM responds

Trump himself lit diyas celebrating the Hindu festival, which is widely celebrated across India where the festive season spanning months is currently underway.

Speaking at the event, Trump said, "Let me extend our warmest wishes to the people of India. I just spoke to your Prime Minister today. Had a great conversation. We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that. Although 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 is a great person and he has become a great friend of mine over the years."

Prime Minister Modi acknowledged Trump's phone call and thanked the US President for the Diwali wishes.

Modi wrote on X, "Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. 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."

Trump expressed bonhomie with Modi at a time the US President is recurrently warning India of the continuation of heavy tariffs over New Delhi's Russian oil purchase.

Last week, Trump claimed India decided to suspend buying energy from its all-weather friend Russia. India had rejected the claim.

Trump had said, "He has assured me that there will be no oil purchase from Russia. I don't know, maybe that's a breaking story... He's not buying his oil from Russia, it's started.. We can do it immediately but it's a little bit of a process which is going to be over soon and all we want from President Putin is to stop killing Ukrainians and Russians because he is killing a lot of Russians."

"If India doesn't buy oil, it makes it much easier and they have assured me that they will not be buying oil from Russia within a short period of time and they will go back to Russia after the war is over."

Rejecting the claims, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, "On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders."

Following this, Trump once again warned India of heavy tariffs if New Delhi does not move away from buying Russian oil.

The Trump administration, which was earlier viewed as India-friendly, has slapped a 25 percent tariff on the South Asian country for its high tariffs on American exports and another 25 percent for purchasing oil from Russia, which is fighting a war against Ukraine.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began in early 2022, India significantly increased its imports of discounted Russian crude oil—now comprising over 30 percent of its total crude imports.

Indian refineries then export refined petroleum products globally, which critics, especially in the U.S., argue indirectly supports Russia’s war effort by funneling money into its economy.

In response, the US proposed tariffs and trade measures targeting India’s exports to discourage this behavior.

India said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

Modi unequivocally said India won't compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and livestock rearers.