US President Donald Trump on Monday (near time) had a “positive” phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the two leaders discussed bilateral partnership and development issues, including security in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and Europe. This was the first telephone discussion between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi since the Republican was sworn in for a second term on January 20.
Later, Mr Trump told reporters that Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit the United States sometime in February.
“I had a long conversation with him this morning (Monday). He is going to be at the White House for another month, possibly in February. We have a very good relationship with India,” he told reporters on Talk Drive One.
The US leader said he discussed the issue of migration with the Indian President and said that Prime Minister Modi will “do what is right” in terms of taking back Indian foreigners who have come to the US illegally.
The call comes in the backdrop of reports that the Indian side is planning a meeting between the two leaders soon. President Trump and PM Modi enjoyed cordial relations during the US President’s first term, but during his campaign for re-election, the 78-year-old US leader called India a “huge abuser” of currency and vowed to impose tariffs on global imports into the US to correct the imbalance.
He also threatened to weaken the BRICS group of countries, which includes India, with taxes if they did not accept his request not to create a modern currency.
On currency exchange and reciprocal relations
In Monday’s call with PM Modi, Mr Trump “emphasized the importance of India increasing its purchases of US-made security equipment and moving towards a fair reciprocal trading relationship,” a White House statement said. The US is India’s largest trading partner and bilateral trade in 2023/24 stood at over $118 billion, with India accounting for over $32 billion.
India is also a key partner in the UN’s efforts to counter China, and in a social media post on Monday, PM Modi called Mr Trump a “dear friend” and said they are “committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership.”
“We will work together for the welfare of our people and global peace, success and security,” the Prime Minister said.
An Indian statement said the leaders discussed innovation, trade, investment, energy and security and “agreed to stay in touch and meet soon at a mutually beneficial date.”
The White House said the two leaders emphasised their commitment to the Quad grouping, which links the UN and India with Australia and Japan, with India joining the Quad leaders later this year.
On immigration
The US President said PM Modi would “do what is right” when it comes to bringing back illegal Indian immigrants from the US. In a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised the desire to “address concerns related to sporadic migration
Mr Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal movement and Bloomberg News last week detailed that India and the US have identified about 18,000 Indian migrants who are in the US illegally. They have said they are open to the legitimate transfer of talented workers and India is known for its vast pool of IT experts, many of whom work across the world. They account for a large share of talented worker H-1B visas issued by the United States.