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From Tahawwur Rana to F-35 fighter jets – 10 key takeaways from Donald Trump’s meeting with PM Modi in US
US President Donald Trump and Indian PM Modi outlined ambitious goals for US-India relations, including a target of $500 billion in trade by 2030, military collaborations, and joint space initiatives, setting a transformative course for bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday (Indian time) to discuss strengthening the India-US bilateral partnership across various sectors.
Both leaders shared pictures from their meeting on social media.
During the meeting, PM Modi and Trump discussed various issues, including trade, defence, technology, energy, security, and people-to-people ties. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.
Modi said he had an excellent meeting with Trump at the White House. “Our talks will add significant momentum to the India-USA friendship,” he said in another post.
Some key takeaways from the meeting.
1- $500 billion trade by 2030
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and the United States have jointly set a target of doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. Modi, who is on a two-day US tour, also said that the two nations will work on concluding a mutually beneficial trade agreement very soon.
"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,” Modi said at a press conference after a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.
2- The deportation row
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's stance on the illegal immigration issue and said that if "people are living in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back".PM Modi said that illegal immigrants are generally people from ordinary families who are "shown big dreams, and most of them are misled and brought" to the United States.
While extending support to US President Donald Trump on the matter, he highlighted the need to destroy the whole ecosystem from its roots to end human trafficking.“Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem,” Modi said. His comments have come weeks after India accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a US military plane for the first time after Donald Trump became US president for the second time.
3 - Tahawwur Rana and 26/11 Mumbai Attacks
President Donald Trump announced the extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India. PM Modi appreciated the decisions while he was in Washington at the time of the announcement.
"I am thankful to the president that he has decided to extradite a criminal to India who committed genocide in 2008 in India. The courts in India will take proper action," PM Modi said.
4- F-35 fighter jets to India
President Trump also announced to provide F-35 fighter jets to India. With this deal, India would join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35. “Starting this year, 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 said.
Trump said that India is going to reform its laws to boost the entry of US nuclear technology. He added that this important deal on energy, will make the US a major supplier of oil and natural gas to India.
5 -MIGA meets MAGA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke about his vision to ‘Make India Great Again’ (MIGA), a phrase inspired by Donald Trump’s signature campaign slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA). Modi used the phrase soon after meeting Trump at the White House in Washington DC.
"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," Modi said in a post on X after the meeting.
6- On Indo-China Issue
President Trump addressed ongoing conflicts, including the India-China border tensions and the war in Ukraine. "I look at India, I do see the skirmishes on the border, which are quite vicious, and I guess they continue to go on. If I could be of help, I'd love to help, because that should be stopped," the US President said.
7-Russia-Ukraine War
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the efforts made by US President Donald Trump towards resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and reiterated India's position that the conflict should be resolved on the negotiating table.
"I have always been in close contact with Russia and Ukraine. 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.
8- Civil Nuclear Agreement
The leaders announced their commitment to fully realize the US-India 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement by moving forward with plans to work together to build U.S.-designed nuclear reactors in India through large-scale localiastion and possible technology transfer, according to the joint statement.
“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.
9- Civil Space Cooperation
The leaders hailed 2025 as a pioneering year for U.S.-India civil space cooperation, with plans for a NASA-ISRO effort through AXIOM to bring the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), and early launch of the joint "NISAR” mission, the first of its kind to systematically map changes to the Earth’s surface using dual radars, the statement said.
They called for more collaboration in space exploration, including long-duration human spaceflight missions, spaceflight safety and sharing of expertise and professional exchanges in emerging areas, including planetary protection.
The leaders committed to further commercial space collaboration through industry engagements in conventional and emerging areas, such as connectivity, advanced spaceflight, satellite and space launch systems, space sustainability, space tourism and advanced space manufacturing.
10- Quad initiatives
Prime Minister Modi looks forward to hosting President Trump in New Delhi for the Quad Leaders’ Summit, ahead of which the leaders will activate new Quad initiatives on shared airlift capacity to support civilian response to natural disasters and maritime patrols to improve interoperability, the statement said.
Our talks will add significant momentum to the India-USA friendship.
Key Takeaways
- The US and India aim to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
- Extradition of Tahawwur Rana signals a strong commitment to combat terrorism.
- Plans for civil space cooperation and military sales, including F-35 jets, highlight deepening ties.
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Business NewsNewsUs NewsFrom Tahawwur Rana to F-35 fighter jets – 10 key takeaways from Donald Trump’s meeting with PM Modi in US
First Published:14 Feb 2025, 09:15 AM IST
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