PM Modi to visit us in February, Trump announces | Latest news from India

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the White House in February, US President Donald Trump announced late Monday (Tuesday IST) when he qualified links between the two countries and very good and said India would do the right thing about illegal immigration.

Trump's statements occurred a few hours after a call with Modi – one that the White House described as productive, and the one in which Trump asked India to buy more security equipment in America and go Towards a fair trade partnership. In a speech to the Republican legislators after the call on Monday, Trump threatened with tariffs against India, making it club with China and Brazil as a country which means American damage and have exploited the American market.

The announcement of the visit which will make Modi among the last leaders that Joe Biden welcomed and among the first leaders that Trump will organize and the clear articulation of American requests on trade, defense and immigration indicates both the diplomatic opportunities and the challenges that await us the India-US relationship.

On Air Force One, on the way back from Florida to Washington DC, Trump spoke about the narrow links of the Americas with New Delhi. I had a long conversation with him (Modi) this morning and he will come to the White House next month, probably in February, said the president. Although the dates have not been announced, there are speculations that Modi can visit DC after attending a summit on artificial intelligence in Paris in mid-February.

Trump said everything had come in the appeal, including immigration, and said India would do the right thing. India has already declared that it opposed illegal immigration and would bring the Indian illegal immigrants of the United States once they are identified. While a PEW study said there are more than 700,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the United States, current bilateral discussions have taken up 18,000 immigrants that have been identified.

In his reading of the call between the two leaders, the White House said that Trump and Modi had discussed the expansion and deepening of cooperation, and a range of regional questions, in particular security in the Indo- Pacific, the Middle East and Europe. This has been largely aligned with Indian reading, which said that the two leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to a mutually beneficial and reliable partnership and exchanged opinions on global issues, notably Ukraine and Western Asia.

But the real difference in the two readings, in terms of framing and accent rather than on the subjects themselves, was on some of the details.

While Indian reading has referred to five problems whose two leaders have discussed and agreed to advance technology, trade, investment, energy and defense, the White House publicly stressed that clear requests of Trump on two questions.

The president stressed the importance of India increasing his purchases of American manufacturing security equipment and moving to a fair bilateral commercial relationship, the American reading of the indicated call.

In a separate event on Monday, addressing Republican legislators, Trump spoke of India in the context of its commitment to American producers and the decision to bring other countries to pay the privilege of accessing the American market. We are going to put prices on external countries and external people that really mean American nuisions. Well, they mean that we harm, but they essentially want to make their country good. Look at what others do. China is a great tariff manufacturer and India and Brazil and so many countries. And so we are not going to let this happen, because we were going to put America first, said Trump.

On trade, Trump has often referred to India as a tariff king, raised the question of the commercial excess India and spoke of the non -reciprocal nature of the commercial relationship. In his first mandate, Trump put an end to the designation India as a country in beneficiary development within the framework of the generalized preference system (GSP) which enabled India to export a set of rights of rights specified for us . Indias Trade Exterplus in goods with the United States was more than $ 41 billion from January to November 2024, according to official United States files.

In recent weeks, New Delhi has reported a desire to reduce prices in specific sectors, to buy more energy in the United States to fill the deficit and even get into discussions for the purpose of a pact commercial. And unlike his campaign promise, Trump did not impose a tariff hike at all levels. But in an executive decree, Trump forced agencies and departments to study trade relations, deficits, unfair commercial practices and explore the prospects of agreements.

Trumps Trade asks double his approach to India during his first mandate. It focuses on reducing trade deficit and creating more opportunities for American exports. Energy, in particular in the form of natural gas, is an easy way for both countries to create more balance, especially since India seeks to increase the share of LNG of its mix of energy., Said Alexander Slater, CEO Director of Capstone, a political forecast and strategic consulting group at DC and former Managing Director based in India in the United States Council in India.

In defense, while the acquisition of India of American military equipment has increased sharply over the past two decades, in particular with a predatory drone agreement of more than $ 3 billion, the American national security state Support three -dimensional resentment of Indian defense policy. These include the more in -depth integration of Indian soldiers with Russia, purchases from other non -American partners (including France and Israel), and the growing make -up and co -production requirements set by Delhi. The declaration of the White House suggests that the American demand for greater Indian acquisition could be an important prerequisite for the deepening of security links, including co -production initiatives.

Explaining the importance of the American declaration, Sameer Lalwani, a principal researcher at the Asia Center of the United States Peace Institute, a DC-based reflection group and a defense experts, said my impression is That this administration is encouraging something that has been coherent in American anterior administrations, which consists in investing and acquiring advanced military capacities to contribute to deterrence in Indo-Pacific. There are many capacities that India has already explored with the United States such as hunting jet engines, maritime patrol planes, anti-fog guided missiles.

The American declaration did not indicate if Trump had raised trade and defense as separate subjects, or if he indicated, as some in the republican ecosystem did in private, that India buying more of American defense equipment (as well as the purchase of more American energy) the more equitable commercial relationship.

The most intriguing part of reading is the place where strategic and defense purchases are registered. It is not clear if the Trump administration will condition security cooperation on commercial housing or will adopt a less transactional approach in order to strengthen the partnership of the two countries in the Indo-Pacific Region and on a global scale, A declared Slater.

Among the convergences, the declaration of the White House mentioned Indo-Pacific and Quad. The two leaders have stressed their commitment to advance the American strategic partnership of India and the Indo-Pacific Quad partnership, India welcoming the Cagrillant leaders for the first time.

After Monday's call, Modi had posted from his personal account on X, delighted to speak with my dear friend president @realdonaldtrump @potus. Congratulated her on his second historical term. We are involved in a mutually beneficial and confidence partnership. We will work together for the well-being of our people and to peace, prosperity and world security.

With the visit in February, Modi and Trump will have the opportunity to rekindle their old heat, send early signals of positivity and solve the problems of discord and divergence which are clearly present in bilateral dynamics at the moment.