Prime Minister Narendra Modi had his first official meeting with US President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House for his second term. Recollecting their friendship during his previous term, President Trump said, “He is a great friend of mine. For a long time we’ve had a wonderful relationship,” as he welcomed PM Modi to the Oval Office.
The two leaders discussed their strategic ties in various key areas during a four hour meeting, including framework to strengthen bilateral ties, defence deals, extradition of terrorists, and cooperation in the field of technology, among others.
Following are the key takeaways of this meeting:
Defence Cooperation
President Donald Trump has offered that US will increase military sales to India by billions of dollars including sale of F35 fighter jets. This is a historic development as India will have a US-based fighter jets for the first time in its military fleet. The leaders have also announced that a new defence cooperation framework will be created which will include joint production, transfer of technology, interoperability, logistics, and maintenance, for the next decade, and will be signed by the two nations.
Reciprocal Tariffs
US President Donald Trump announced that he would levy reciprocal tariffs on allies as well as competitors to balance the trade relationships with the countries. This announcement was made ahead of his meeting with PM Modi. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the disparities in trade and agreed to strike a trade deal which could benefit companies of both the countries.
MAGA + MIGA = MEGA Partnership
PM Modi highlighted the shared commitment to economic growth and global leadership of USA and India saying, “The people of America are well aware of President Trump’s motto ‘MAGA – Make America Great Again.’ The people of India too are focusing on heritage and development as they move forward at a fast pace and with a firm resolve towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.”
“In the language of America, it’s Make India Great Again – MIGA. When America and India work together, this MAGA plus MIGA becomes a ‘mega partnership for prosperity’ and it is this mega spirit that gives new scale and scope to our objectives,” he added.
To further this vision, India and the US have set a bilateral trade target of $500 billion by 2030. The terms of the agreement would be decided soon.
Energy Deal
US President Donald Trump has clarified that he expected India to buy more oil and gas from the US.
In 2024, India purchased $15 billion worth of energy products from the US. This may well go up to $25 billion in the near future, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri explained. US also wants to become India’s biggest supplier for nuclear technology.
Furthermore, US also wants to become India’s biggest supplier for nuclear technology.
Illegal immigration
PM Modi talked about the issue of illegal immigration to the US and clarified that India is ready to take back the citizens living unlawfully in the US. However, he emphasised that the issue extended beyond deportation, highlighting the role of human traffickers who mislead individuals with false promises.
“Those who stay in other countries illegally do not have any legal right to be there. As far as India and the US are concerned, we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India – if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back,” PM Modi said.
