Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in February in Washington, Reuters reported, citing Indian sources familiar with the talks, BTA reported.
India is a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China and wants to strengthen its trade relations with the United States, as well as to ease the procedure for obtaining visas for skilled workers for its citizens. Trump's return to the White House has raised concerns among officials in Delhi about the possibility of imposing tariffs on India, which he added to a list of countries that have imposed high tariffs on US products.
According to the sources, Delhi is ready to make some concessions to Washington, although it has not yet been officially notified of US plans to impose retaliatory tariffs, and is also ready to offer incentives to attract more US investment in India.
Officials hope that a meeting with Modi at the beginning of Trump's term would help set a positive start to relations. Trump visited India during his previous term in February 2020. He was then welcomed by more than 100,000 Indians at a cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, where he promised India an "incredible trade deal."
The United States is India's largest trading partner, and the total value of bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $ 118 billion in 2023-2024. Other topics of conversation between the two leaders are likely to be strengthening the partnership in the technology sector and defense, Reuters sources said.