The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday responded to US President Donald Trump's claim that that PM Modi personally approached him to resolve the issue over delays in the delivery of Apache attack helicopters.
“India ordered Apache helicopters and didn't get them for 5 years. Prime Minister Modi came to see me. Sir, may I see you please? Yes!," Trump claimed. He went on to emphasise their personal rapport, adding, “I have a very good relationship with him.”
The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a media briefing said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump have consistently engaged each other with "mutual respect".
The MEA said the two leaders have always addressed one another in line with diplomatic norms, even as Trump, speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat, once again placed himself at the centre of India’s defence, trade and energy choices. His remarks leaned heavily on personal anecdotes, while offering little by way of verifiable detail.
"PM Modi and President Trump have a friendly relationship, they have always addressed each other with mutual respect as per diplomatic norms," the MEA said in the statement.
Recounting what he described as a stalled defence deal, Trump claimed that Modi personally intervened to resolve delays in the delivery of Apache attack helicopters. “India ordered Apache helicopters and didn't get them for 5 years. Prime Minister Modi came to see me. Sir, may I see you please? Yes!” Trump said, before adding, “I have a very good relationship with him.” He went on to assert, “We're changing it. India ordered 68 Apaches,” without outlining timelines, contractual changes or reasons for the alleged delay.
Alongside praise for Modi, Trump also suggested tension over trade and energy policy. “He's not that happy with me because, you know, they're paying a lot of tariffs now. Because they're not doing the oil,” he said, directly linking tariffs to India’s energy purchases. He further claimed, “But they are, they've reduced it very substantially, as you know, from Russia,” again without offering supporting details.
Trump used the occasion to defend his broader tariff regime, insisting, “We're getting rich because of tariffs, by the way. Hope everyone understands.” He also claimed, “I have to report we're gonna have over 650 billion dollars poured into our country or coming in shortly because of tariffs,” a figure he did not substantiate.
Earlier in the week, the rhetoric sharpened further. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump warned, “We could raise tariffs on India if they don't help on the Russian oil issue.” In the same breath, he returned to personal praise, saying, “PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
The United States has already imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent component explicitly tied to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, framing it as part of a wider pressure campaign.
Trump’s comments echo a familiar pattern. He has previously made sweeping assertions about India’s strategic decisions — including repeatedly claiming that he mediated between India and Pakistan during the May conflict — claims New Delhi has firmly rejected. Against that backdrop, his latest remarks on defence deals, tariffs and oil imports have been seen in India less as revelations of quiet diplomacy and more as another attempt to cast India’s sovereign choices through the prism of his own persona.
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