PM Modi lands in US for 2-day visit, to hold bilateral meet with Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington DC in the early hours of Thursday for a 2-day visit to the United States. During the visit, PM Modi is set to hold bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump.

PM Modi’s trip comes in the face of concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s new “America First” trade agenda.

Amid the ongoing tariff imposition by the United States, PM Modi’s key focus during the visit will likely be to prevent any trade penalties from Washington.

In their meeting, the two leaders are likely to broadly focus on ramping up India-US cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, energy, defence, technology, and immigration.

Besides the sector-specific announcements, the key meeting will be closely watched for several outcomes, as it is their first meeting since Trump took charge of the White House for his second term.

The visit comes days after the Trump administration deported 104 Indians in handcuffs and shackles on a military aircraft. The Trump administration’s actions sparked outrage in India, with the opposition raising questions about the treatment of migrants.

Modi’s visit to the US comes shortly after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on global steel and aluminium imports into the US. The move is expected to hit the Indian firms exporting steel and aluminium to the US.

India has signalled a softer stance on the issue, unlike its tough approach during Trump’s first term. News agency PTI reported that New Delhi may consider cutting tariffs in at least a dozen sectors if the White House offers some concessions.

The bilateral trade between India and the US was around USD 130 billion last year.

The two leaders are also likely to touch upon overall situation in the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and developments in West Asia.