Washington: US President Donald Trump announced after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India will buy more oil, gas and military hardware, including F-35 fighter jets, from America to bring down trade deficit but asserted that Washington will not spare New Delhi from reciprocal tariffs.
At his Oval Office in the White House Thursday (Friday India time), Trump warmly welcomed Modi with a long handshake and a bear hug while describing the prime minister as a “great friend” for a long time and a “terrific” man.
The US president, at a joint media briefing with the Indian prime minister following the talks, said both sides are looking at striking a major trade deal soon while calling import duties imposed by India on certain US products as “very unfair” and “strong”.
“Whatever India charges, we will charge them,” Trump said, adding “We are being reciprocal with India.”
The Modi-Trump meeting took place hours after the US President announced a new reciprocal tariff policy for all the trading partners of the US in the latest in a series of such actions initiated by his administration.
In his remarks, Trump said he and PM Modi have reached an agreement that could potentially make the US the “number one supplier” of oil and gas to India, suggesting it to be part of measures to bring down the US trade deficit with India that stands at around USD 45 billion.
The US president also said that both sides have decided to expand the overall defence partnership.
“Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Trump said.
“We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with F-35 stealth fighters,” he added. The F35 jets are known as the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world.
Trump also announced that India and the US will be working together like “never before” to confront the threat of radical Islamic terror across the world.
“I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the very evil people of the world,” he said, referring to the extradition of 26/11 Mumbai attack plotter Tahawwur Rana to India.
Rana, currently detained at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles, is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the terror attack.
“He is going to be going back to India to face justice,” Trump said. “We’re giving him back to India immediately” and more such extraditions could follow as we have quite a few requests (from New Delhi),” he added.
The US president also noted positive momentum in India-US cooperation in the civil-nuclear energy sector.
“In the groundbreaking development for the US nuclear industry, India is also reforming laws to welcome US nuclear technology to the Indian market,” he said.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Modi said cooperation between India and the US can shape a better world.
A defence cooperation framework will be prepared for next decade, he said.
“One thing that I deeply appreciate, and I learn from President Trump, is that he keeps the national interest (of the US) supreme. Like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else,” Modi said.
To a question on whether the issue relating to business tycoon Gautam Adani figured in the talks, Modi said: “India is a democracy and our culture is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. We consider the whole world as one family. I believe every Indian is mine.”
Modi said such individual matters are not discussed in talks between two leaders. “Two prominent leaders of two countries never discuss such individual issues,” he said.
On ties between India and China following the eastern Ladakh border row, Trump described the “skirmishes” as “vicious”.
“I do see the skirmishes on the border which are quite vicious… If I could be of help,” he said.
The US president said he wished China, India, Russia and the US — all could get along well.
Prime Minister Modi and President Trump also answered questions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“I support Donald Trump’s efforts towards finding a possible solution to end the war. The world somehow feels India has been neutral during the war. But I would like to reiterate that India has not been neutral. In fact, India has been on the side of peace,” Modi said.
“When I met President Putin, I had even said that ‘this is not the era for war’. I had also said that solutions cannot be found on the battlefield. They can only come when all parties sit at the table for dialogue,” he said.
On the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, Trump said both sides agreed to work to help build one of “greatest trade routes” in history globally.
Before meeting Trump, Prime Minister Modi held separate talks with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, billionaire Elon Musk and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy.
