Washington DC [US], November 7 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him 'a great man' and 'a friend,' while hinting that he may visit India next year as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen trade relations between the two nations.

Speaking to reporters at the White House after announcing a new deal to lower the prices of weight loss drugs, Trump said his talks with PM Modi were 'going great.'

'He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia. And he is a friend of mine, and we speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go... Prime Minister Modi is a great man and I will be going,' Trump said.

When asked directly if he planned to travel to India next year, Trump replied, 'It could be, yes.'

This comes months after The New York Times, in its August report, had said that US President Donald Trump no longer intends to visit India for the upcoming Quad Summit later this year, following Washington's decision to impose heavy tariffs.

Citing sources familiar with the President's schedule, the report, titled 'The Nobel Prize and a Testy Phone Call: How the Trump-Modi Relationship Unravelled', noted that although Trump had earlier assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would attend the summit in the fall, the plan has now been dropped.

Trump made these comments during a White House press briefing where officials unveiled a new initiative aimed at reducing the cost of popular weight loss drugs across the United States.

The event briefly paused after a company representative fainted during the announcement. 'During the Most Favoured Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The press conference will resume shortly,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The remarks come amid ongoing trade negotiations between India and the United States following Washington's decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff, including 25 per cent additional duties, over India's continued purchase of Russian oil.

Earlier on Tuesday, reaffirming Trump's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, Leavitt said, 'The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to the Prime Minister directly when he celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with many high-ranking Indian-American officials here at the White House.'

Her remarks follow Trump's recent claim that India had significantly reduced its purchase of Russian oil. During his Asia tour, he described New Delhi as being 'very good' on the issue and said Prime Minister Modi had assured him that India would curb or halt crude imports from Moscow.

Trump's comments align with his administration's broader push to economically isolate Russia through sanctions and energy restrictions amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a response to Trump's comments, reiterating that the country's energy sourcing decisions are based on national interests and consumer welfare.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective.'

He added that India's energy policy focuses on ensuring stable prices and secured supplies through diversified sourcing.

'Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,' Jaiswal said. (ANI)