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,

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