Trump & Modi are ‘real friends’, says US ambassador Sergio Gor

The India-United States relationship is anchored in genuine friendship and mutual trust, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Monday as he assumed charge in New Delhi, signalling continuity in bilateral trade engagement despite ongoing tariff tensions.

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump’s rapport “very real”, Gor said real friends may disagree but resolve differences, framing current trade negotiations as part of a resilient and mature partnership. He confirmed that both sides are actively engaging on trade, with the next round of talks expected as early as January 13.

In a key strategic announcement, Gor said India will be invited next month to join PaxSilica as a full member. The US-led initiative aims to build a secure, innovation-driven silicon supply chain spanning critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure and logistics.

PaxSilica currently includes nations such as Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Israel, with partnerships also involving Australia and Singapore. The initiative seeks to reduce coercive dependencies, protect technologies foundational to AI, and enable partner countries to deploy advanced capabilities at scale.

Gor thanked President Trump and said his mission is to deepen ties between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. Markets reacted positively to the renewed trade engagement signals, with the Sensex recovering sharply during Monday’s session.