New Delhi [India], September 10 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Wednesday asserted that the 'continued negotiations' to address trade barriers between India and the United States (US) must be about the interests of the two nations.

'Both of these are large nations; I am confident that very soon, good relations will be established between the two. I want to say this very clearly that this time, the talks should not be between Modi and Trump, but it should be about the interests of America and India,' Tiwari told ANI.

The senior Congress leader accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'changing' the entire equation between India and the US in the context of foreign policy by participating in Trump's election campaign.

'India-US relations are not just of the present day. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had laid a strong foundation. Indira, Rajiv, Narasimha Rao, Manmohan and Atal Bihari carried that forward. But after PM Modi came to power, he went beyond the established foreign policy and went for their election and did 'Howdy Modi', 'Namaste Trump' and 'Agli Baar Trump Sarkar'. This changed the entire equation,' he added.

Earlier in the day, Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari cautioned against the statement made by US President Donald Trump calling for 'continuing negotiations' to address trade barriers with India, saying that the latter could say something different tomorrow.

Speaking to ANI, Tewari argued that the talks must conclude on terms that remain favourable for India.

'It is not done till it is not done. With great respect, you may have a different post from President Trump on Truth Social tomorrow. Until something concludes on terms that are not unfavourable to India, the proof of the pudding lies in its eating,' Tewari, the Lok Sabha MP, said.

This comes after Trump expressed enthusiasm about continuing negotiations to tackle trade barriers between the two nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that trade talks between India and the United States would help 'unlock the limitless potential' of the partnership, after US President Donald Trump called for addressing 'trade barriers' between the two nations.

In a post on X, PM Modi described New Delhi and Washington as 'natural partners' and said he was confident about the progress of the negotiations. The PM also expressed his willingness to speak to Trump.

'India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,' PM Modi said in the X post.

Trump also expressed confidence in reaching a 'successful conclusion' and looked forward to speaking with PM Modi in the upcoming weeks.

'I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries,' Trump stated in his post.

His remark comes days after he called the India-US ties a 'very special relationship' and affirmed that he and PM Modi would always be friends, asserting that there is 'nothing to worry about'.

Earlier on Friday (local time), President Trump, while making an announcement in the White House, was asked by ANI, 'Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?'.

The US President replied, 'I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion.'

Following this, PM Modi on Saturday responded warmly to Trump's affirmation of the India-US ties, saying he 'deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates' the US President's sentiments and positive assessment of the bilateral relations.

In a post on X, PM Modi noted India-US ties as 'forward-looking' towards a 'Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership'.

'Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,' the Prime Minister stated in his post.

New Delhi is facing global uncertainties due to heightened economic tensions following the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, including an additional 25 per cent due to its purchase of Russian crude oil, which, according to Washington, fuels Moscow's efforts in its conflict with Ukraine. (ANI)