PM Modi dials ‘dear friend’ President Trump, says it is a ‘trusted partnership’
President Trump and PM Modi discussed aspects of the bilateral comprehensive global strategic partnership and measures to advance it
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Monday spoke about working together for global peace and security and measures to advance cooperation in key areas such as technology, trade and defence in their first conversation since the American leader’s inauguration last week.
The phone call, initiated by the Indian side, followed external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s participation as the Indian government’s representative at Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington, the Trump administration’s first foreign policy engagement.
Modi provided details of the conversation in a post on X, in which he said he congratulated his “dear friend” on his second term in office.
“We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” Modi said.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a “mutually beneficial and trusted partnership”, an Indian readout said. They also discussed aspects of the bilateral comprehensive global strategic partnership and measures to advance it, including in technology, trade, investment, energy and defence, the people said.
Modi and Trump exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in Ukraine and West Asia, and “reiterated their commitment to work together for promoting global peace, prosperity and security”. They also agreed to meet at an early mutually convenient date, the readout said without giving details.
The call came against the backdrop of buzz in diplomatic circles about the Indian side working on an early meeting between the two leaders. Neither side has spoken officially about such a meeting, though Trump is expected to travel to India later this year to attend a Quad Leaders’ Summit to be hosted by New Delhi.
The Indian side is also keen to build on work done with the Biden administration, especially the launch of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) that has seen the two sides working together on a range of defence platforms and cutting edge technologies such as AI and semiconductors, and the ramping up of defence and security engagements, both bilaterally and through forums such as Quad.
As they prepare to cope with the chaos and uncertainty associated with a Trump administration, Indian officials are drawing comfort from Jaishankar’s meetings with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz – the first engagements of the two US leaders after assuming office – and the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting as signals of the American side’s continued commitment to the relationship with New Delhi.
Jaishankar, while addressing the media in Washington on January 22, said these meetings signalled that the Trump administration “prioritising the bilateral relationship” and would like to build on the foundation of the ties that were built during the first Trump administration.
Emphasising that there is a “very strong degree of trust” and a “very high level of convergence” of interests between India and the US, Jaishankar said there was also agreement in the recent meetings about the need to be bolder, bigger, and more ambitious about the bilateral relationship.
Amid Trump’s talk of imposing “100% tariffs” on the Brics bloc, which includes India, and his administration’s sweeping crackdown on illegal migrants, the Indian side has signalled its willingness to work with the US to address all issues related to trade and illegal immigration. Trump’s actions have triggered concerns about the potential fallout on India, though the fundamentals of the bilateral relationship remain strong and trade in goods and services soared to $190 billion in 2023.
“Our approach has always been to address issues in a constructive manner which is in keeping with the interests of both countries and we...remain in close communication with the US administration and would like to continue to work towards strengthening our economic partnership further,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing last week.
In recent months, Trump has talked about possible retaliatory tariffs on China and India, which he labelled the “tariff king” in the past. He has also railed against efforts by Brics members, primarily China and Russia, to push for trade settlement in domestic currencies as part of a shift away from the US dollar. Jaishankar has responded to Trump’s threats on this count by saying that India “has never been for de-dollarisation” and that all Brics members don’t have an identical position on this issue.
The US is India’s largest trading partner and bilateral trade in goods exceeded $118 billion in 2023-24, with New Delhi posting a trade surplus of $32 billion. As part of efforts to assuage the Trump administration, the Indian side is looking at ways to increase imports from the US, including the possible purchase of more oil and gas.
The external affairs ministry has made it clear that India is opposed to illegal migration because of its links to organised crime. New Delhi has also said it will take back all Indians who have either over-stayed in the US or are there without proper documentation, provided their nationality is confirmed.
While figures from the US department of homeland security suggested there are close to 18,000 illegal immigrants from India in the US, Indian officials have said it would be premature to talk about numbers at this stage.
