Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on Thursday, as New Delhi presses Washington for relief from U.S. tariffs of up to 50 percent on some of India’s top exports imposed over its Russian oil purchases.

Modi said on X that the two reviewed progress in their relationship and discussed regional and global developments.

A White House official confirmed the call occurred but provided no details about the conversation.

The two leaders have spoken three times since Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to as high as 50 percent, hitting shipments of textiles, chemicals, and food items, including shrimp.

Modi called the exchange “warm and engaging,” saying the two nations would continue cooperating on global peace, stability, and prosperity.

Trade talks still uncertain

Negotiations broke off in late July after India resisted opening its markets to U.S. agricultural products and declined to acknowledge Trump’s role in a past India-Pakistan dispute.

Talks have nonetheless continued, even as Indian refiners appear to be trimming Russian oil purchases following U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, part of broader American pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer met Indian officials during a two-day visit to New Delhi this week, as India seeks relief from the punitive tariffs tied to its Russian oil buying. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office did not immediately comment.

One administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it remained unclear whether a trade deal could be concluded before year-end.

Ryan Majerus, a former senior Commerce Department official now with the law firm King & Spalding, said he expected Washington and New Delhi to reach an agreement eventually, given India’s growing economic importance.

Russian ties loom over talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited New Delhi last week, offering India steady fuel supplies and rejecting U.S. pressure on India to curb its Russian imports.

Indian exports to the United States fell nearly 9 percent year-on-year in October to $6.31 billion, down from $6.91 billion a year earlier, though higher than $5.47 billion in September, according to Indian government data.

Washington continues pressing India to cut tariffs and non-tariff barriers on U.S. products and widen access for American farm goods, including soybeans and grain sorghum.