New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC on Friday and discussed deepening of India-US partnership across various segments while also affirming their faith in the atomic energy.
The two leaders held discussions on wide-ranging issues, ranging from firming up the defence framework between two nations and also boosting ties in fields like energy, trade and more.
As the two leaders met and exchanged pleasantries, their warm hug stole the limelight. Trump described PM Modi as a ‘great friend’ and also said, “We missed you, we missed you a lot” while embracing him.
Below are the key takeaways from PM Modi-US Prez meet:
Civil Nuclear agreement
A renewed push for ‘making more atomic reactions’ in India was among the most prominent agenda on table, as the two leaders discussed ways to enhance co-operation in energy sector. They agreed to work together on US-designed nuclear reactions in India ‘through large-scale localisation and possible technology transfer’.
Their joint statement read, “Both sides welcomed the recent Budget announcement by Government of India to take up amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) for nuclear reactors, and further decided to establish bilateral arrangements in accordance with CLNDA, that would address the issue of civil liability and facilitate the collaboration of Indian and US industry in the production and deployment of nuclear reactors,” the statement read.
Doubling bilateral trade by $500 billion
The two leaders vowed to double the bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Speaking to reporters after bilateral meet, PM Modi said, “”We have … set ourselves the target of more than doubling our bilateral trade to attain $500 billion by 2030. Our teams will work on concluding very soon, a mutually beneficial trade agreement.”
Stepping up military trade, including F-35 jets
Trump announced that United States will increase military sales to India by billions of dollars in near future, including the supply of F-35 fighter jets. This would bring India at par with NATO allies, as only these select countries enjoy the privilege of buying F-35 stealth fighters. The only two other nations who have been bypassed of ‘restrictions’ are Israel and Japan.
“We will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters ultimately,” Trump stated.
Coming together of MIGA and MAGA
MIGA was the new acronym coined during PM Modi-Trump meet and is bound to reverberate in days to come. On the lines of Donald Trump’s signature campaign slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, PM Modi shared his vision of the Viksit Bharat and also pitched it as ‘MIGA’ (Make India Great Again) in an American context.
“President Trump often talks about MAGA. In India, we are working towards a Viksit Bharat, which in American context translates into MIGA. And together, the India-USA have a MEGA partnership for prosperity,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Russia-Ukraine War
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the efforts of United States towards resolving the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine and also reiterated India’s position that the war should be resolved on the negotiating table. He also rejected the perception of ‘India being neutral’ and said that India has clearly taken a stand and that is towards peace.
“I have met the leaders of both countries. Many people are in a misconception that India is neutral, but I want to reiterate that India is not neutral; we are on a side, and that is peace,” PM Modi said in a joint presser.
Agreement on IMEC
Trump said that India and US would work together to build the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), describing as ‘one of the greatest trade routes’. He said that the route will operate from Israel to Italy and onward to the US.
“We agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history. It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the US. Lot of money is going to be spent and we have already spent some but we are going to be spending a lot more,” said the US President.
(IANS)
