United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he will do a trade deal with India soon and that he has “great respect and love” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both nations are moving closer to sealing a new trade agreement soon, the American President said while addressing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business leaders meeting at a luncheon in South Korea. Meanwhile, he called PM Modi the “nicest-looking guy” while reiterating the claim of having brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan this year.
“I’m doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. We have a great relationship. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Pakistan is a great guy. They have a Field Marshal. You know why he’s a Field Marshal? He’s a great fighter. And so I know them all. I’m reading that seven planes were shot down. These are two nuclear nations. And they’re really going at it,” Trump said.
“I Called PM Modi And…” – Donald Trump
New Delhi and Washington have been locked in trade negotiations since February. At the APEC CEOs luncheon, Trump claimed that he spoke to PM Modi and said that a US-India trade deal was not possible. He further mentioned that he called Pakistan and said the same thing.
“And I called Prime Minister Modi and said, we can’t make a trade deal with you. No, no, we must make a trade deal. I said, No, we can’t. You’re starting a war with Pakistan. We’re not going to do it. And then I called Pakistan and said, We’re not going to do trade with you because you’re fighting with India. They said, No, no, you should let us fight. They both said that. They’re strong people,” Trump said during his address.
Trump Praises PM Modi, Calls Him ‘ A Killer”
While lavishing praise on PM Modi, the US President again claimed credit for stopping the war between India and Pakistan. “Prime Minister Modi is the nicest-looking guy. He’s a killer. He’s tough as hell. No, we will fight. I said, Whoa, this is the same man that I know. After literally two days, they called up and they said, we understand, and they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing? Now, you think Biden would have done that? I don’t think so,’ Trump said.
He has previously made similar claims of mediating a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbors following a conflict in May, a claim that India has consistently denied.
