US President Donald Trump, during his speech in Egypt on Monday, after signing the peace agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, called India “a great country” and termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “his very good friend.” This happened while Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif stood in the back. This became more than just a viral moment, as the Pakistani leader likely did not expect PM Modi to be praised, especially in a setting where the Indian Prime Minister was not even present.
Trump’s statement comes days after PM Modi held a phone call with US President Trump and congratulated him on the “success of the historic Gaza peace plan.”
“India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top, and he has just done a fantastic job,” Trump said.
The US President went on to say, “I think India and Pakistan are going to live very nicely together,” and turned to the Pakistan PM and asked, ‘Right?” to which Sharif nodded along.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense since the Pahalgam attack on April 22, when terrorists killed 26 people. Following the attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). After this, Pakistani forces carried out a series of drone and missile attacks on Indian territory, prompting Indian forces to retaliate. However, on May 10, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart to negotiate a cessation of hostilities, leading to the announcement of a ceasefire.
Earlier, in a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, “Spoke to my friend, President Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. Also reviewed the good progress achieved in trade negotiations. Agreed to stay in close touch over the coming weeks.”
Indian Ambassador In US
The new US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, wraps up his four-day visit to India.
Gor met PM Modi on Saturday and gifted a framed photograph of their White House meeting in February this year. The photo was signed by Trump, where he wrote, “Mr Prime Minister, you are great!”
As per IANS, an official statement by Sergio Gor read, “Good evening, it’s an honour and a privilege to be here today. I arrived from Washington to New Delhi early this morning, and we hit the ground running. We had a great series of meetings, including with Foreign Secretary Misri, with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and with National Security Advisor Doval. And we just finished an incredible meeting with Prime Minister Modi, where we discussed bilateral issues including defense, trade, and technology. We also discussed the importance of critical minerals to both of our nations.
“The U.S. values its relationship with India and, under the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Modi, I am optimistic about the days ahead for both of our nations. President Trump considers Prime Minister Modi a great and personal friend. In fact, just before I left for New Delhi, they had an incredible phone call, and that is something that will continue over the weeks and months ahead.”
