Washington: The bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on trade, defence, and immigration. The meeting took hours after Trump asserted that India “is right at the top of the pack” while announcing reciprocal tariffs. But even amid the tariff shadow, both the leaders showcased their bonhomie throughout the meeting. Trump also asserted that Modi was “much tougher and much better negotiator than him.” The US President also referred to Modi as a ‘great friend.’ The meeting between the two focussed on extradition of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India, the F-35 jet deal, setting of USD 500 billion target for bilateral trade by 2030 , among other topics.
#WATCH | Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump says, “He (PM Narendra Modi) is a much tougher negotiator than me and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest.”
(Video: ANI/DD) pic.twitter.com/V8EzU0FfE9
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2025
Modi-Trump Meeting: Key Takeaways
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- PM Modi said the two nations have set a USD 500 billion target for bilateral trade. Trump announced a pact with India to import more US oil and gas.
- Trump announced that his administration had approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind to India for facing justice. He dubbed Rana as ‘one of the very evil people of the world.’
- Trump said the US would increase its military sales to India by “billions of dollars” and it would provide fifth generation F-35 stealth jets to the country. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the deal was at “proposal stage.” New procurements and co-production of ‘Javelin’ anti-tank guided missiles and ‘Stryker’ Infantry Combat Vehicles were also announced.
- PM Modi equates Viksit Bharat to Trump’s ‘MAGA’ (Make America Great Again) slogan. “In India, we are working towards a Viksit Bharat, which in American context translates into MIGA (Make India Great Again). When US and India work together, this MAGA plus MIGA becomes a ‘MEGA’ partnership for prosperity,” he said.
- Modi lauded Trump’s efforts to douse the Russia-Ukraine war crisis, while stating that India’s stance was not neutral but the country has its own stance, peace.
- On the Bangladesh crisis, Donald Trump declined speculation of the involvement of the US deep state. “I will leave Bangladesh to PM Modi,” he said.
- On deportation of illegal immigrants, PM Modi stressed that India was fully prepared to take back ‘verified’ citizens living in America illegally.
#WATCH | Washington, DC: On the illegal immigration issue, PM Narendra Modi says, “…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… pic.twitter.com/Qa0JEnAjyp
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2025
- The two leaders announced the launch of the ‘TRUST’ initiative for greater collaboration among governments, academia and the private sector to drive innovation in defence, AI, semiconductors, energy and space.
- Trump also offered to mediate to end the border issues between India and China along the LAC. “If I could be of help, I’d love to help…” he said in this context.
