US President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed confidence that the United States and India would reach a trade agreement, while describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “good friend”.

“We will get to a deal because I like your prime minister a lot. He is a good friend of mine. We get along great, and we are gonna make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Responding to a question on the ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries, Trump said he was optimistic about the outcome despite longstanding concerns over trade barriers.

At the same time, he reiterated his criticism of India's tariff regime, claiming that New Delhi had benefited from US trade policies for years and imposed “tremendous tariffs” on American goods.

“They charged tremendous amounts of tariffs to our companies, and we didn't charge them anything,” Trump said.

A US delegation was in India earlier this week and concluded four days of negotiations on an interim bilateral agreement on Thursday.

India's commerce ministry said the trade talks were marked by a spirit of cooperation and pragmatism, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to concluding a mutually beneficial agreement that strengthens bilateral trade and economic ties.

(With PTI inputs)