This week brought the annual Hindu celebration of Diwali, marking the victory of light over darkness. For India's prime minister, it also brought a phone call from President Donald Trump. But there's a lot in the relationship that remains unclear.
President Trump has had an unusual relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi has headed the Indian government since 2014, serving three consecutive terms.
The two appeared to be close in Trump's first term, exchanging visits with large rallies for Modi in the United States in 2019 and for the U.S. president in India the following year.
But there were no sweeping trade deals in the first term — and no trade agreements in the second term either.
In fact, the Trump administration currently has a 50% tariff on Indian products, with half of that linked to India's imports of Russian oil.
There is some diplomatic distance as well.
One of the lingering images from last month's leaders meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was a smiling three-shot of Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But on Tuesday, as he lit Diwali lights at the White House, Trump spoke of Modi as a “great friend” and said India would “not buy too much oil from Russia” and will be “continuing to cut it way back.”
There is no confirmation of that from India's government. Although the Indian publication Mint reports the two sides are “closing in on a long-pending trade deal.”
