[🇮🇳] India-USA friendship

[Saif]

Date of Event: Feb 15, 2025 Source : https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/news/trump-offers-top-end-jets-trade-deal-india-modi-bromance-3824166

Trump offers top-end jets, trade deal to India in Modi bromance

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration's punitive approach to much of the world.

Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump's return, described the fellow nationalist as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Trump said that he found a "special bond" with Modi and India and, in an uncharacteristic if ironic show of humility, complimented Modi as being a "much tougher negotiator" than he is.

Successive US administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top US military prizes -- F-35s.

"Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars," Trump told a joint news conference with Modi.

"We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump said.

India would join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35, which can operate without detection at supersonic speeds.

Continuing a push from his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said that the two countries also planned investment in ports, railways and underseas cable to "build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history," running from India to Israel to Europe and beyond.

Dangling tariffs

Trump has dueled with both friends and foes on economic issues. Hours before meeting, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India.

Speaking next to Modi, Trump called India's "unfair, very strong tariffs" a "big problem" but said that the two countries would hold negotiations to close a trade deficit in India's favor.

Modi said that the world's largest and fifth-largest countries would work on a "mutually beneficial trade agreement" to be sealed "very soon," with a focus on oil and gas.

Joining Trump's meeting with Modi was SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump's right-hand man to overhaul the US bureaucracy.

Modi also met one-on-one with Musk, raising questions over whether the world's richest man was meeting the Indian leader in an official or business capacity.

The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming Musk, with several children on Musk's side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.

Modi, a prolific user of Musk-owned social media platform X, said later that he has known Musk since before he became prime minister.

Courting Trump

Modi offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles -- a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.

India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump's immigration crackdown. The treatment drew protests from India's opposition which accused Modi of sacrificing the dignity of citizens to please Trump.

Modi at the news conference vowed to keep cooperating, saying that undocumented Indians are being lured by human traffickers.

"Any verified Indian who is in the US illegally, we are fully prepared to take them back to India," Modi said.

Trump in turn announced the United States would extradite to India a suspect in the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai, whom he called "one of the very evil people in the world."

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin who was based in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison.

His extradition was expected after he lost an appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Modi and Trump share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.

In 2020, Modi delighted Trump by inviting him before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.

Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad -- a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.​

 

[Saif]

Modi ends US, France tours with nuclear deals ahead

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi concluded a whistle-stop diplomatic tour Friday having secured significant pledges of support from Washington and Paris to help step up his country’s nuclear energy programme.

www.newagebd.net

Modi ends US, France tours with nuclear deals ahead
Agence France-Presse . New Delhi, India 16 February, 2025, 01:09

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. | File photo

Trump offers top-end jets, trade deal to India

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi concluded a whistle-stop diplomatic tour Friday having secured significant pledges of support from Washington and Paris to help step up his country’s nuclear energy programme.

US president Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration’s punitive approach to much of the world.

New Delhi has vowed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 partly by increasing the number of nuclear plants in the country from eight, which currently account for around three percent of power generation in India.

Modi’s White House meeting with president Donald Trump resulted in an agreement to build US-designed nuclear reactors in India.

Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump’s return, described the fellow nationalist as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan.

Trump said that he found a ‘special bond’ with Modi and India and, in an uncharacteristic if ironic show of humility, complimented Modi as being a ‘much tougher negotiator’ than he is.

Successive US administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top US military prizes—F-35s.

‘Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,’ Trump told a joint news conference with Modi. ‘We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters.’

‘This path forward will unlock plans to build large US-designed reactors and enable collaboration to develop, deploy and scale up nuclear power generation with advanced small modular reactors,’ a joint statement said Thursday.

India revealed a similar deal with France following Modi’s meeting with president Emmanuel Macron earlier this week.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said Wednesday that India and France aimed to initiate cooperation on developing small modular nuclear reactors, nothing that the technology was still in its ‘initial stages’.

‘Our intent is to be able to cooperate in co-designing the reactors, co-developing them, and co-producing them,’ he told reporters.

Both partnerships come days after Modi’s government announced plans to amend its strict nuclear liability law, which holds operators liable for any damage or accident, with exceptions made for certain situations including natural disasters.

Despite the nuclear tilt, fossil fuels remain very much on the agenda with New Delhi saying it was working towards establishing the United States as its ‘leading supplier of crude oil and petroleum products and liquefied natural gas’.

The plan is ‘in line with the growing needs and priorities of our dynamic economies’, India said.

Misri said India purchased ‘about $15 billion in US energy output’ and that there was a ‘good chance’ that the figure could go up to as much as $25 billion in the near future.

This year, India also greenlit a $1.9 billion plan to help snap up supplies of a range of critical minerals vital for the country’s green energy and defence sectors.​

 

[Saif]

US slaps sanction on four Indian firms over Iran link

The United States imposed sanctions on four Indian firms on Monday for their alleged links to Iran's oil industry, reports Hindustan Times.

www.newagebd.net

US slaps sanction on four Indian firms over Iran link
Staff Correspondent 26 February, 2025, 01:38

The United States imposed sanctions on four Indian firms on Monday for their alleged links to Iran's oil industry, reports Hindustan Times.

The sanctioned companies—Austinship Management Pvt Ltd, BSM Marine LLP, Cosmos Lines Inc, and Flux Maritime LLP—are among 16 firms sanctioned by the US for their involvement in Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors.

In a statement issued on Monday, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Department of State announced sanctions on over 30 individuals and vessels across multiple jurisdictions for facilitating the sale and transportation of Iranian petroleum-related products.

This move follows President Donald Trump’s national security memorandum issued on February 4, which called for a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran.

According to the State Department, this is the second round of sanctions aimed at curbing Iranian oil sales.

The State Department noted that the sanctioned vessels are responsible for shipping tens of millions of barrels of crude oil, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.​

 

[Saif]

Vance warns of 'very dark time' without close US-India ties

The United States wants to sell more energy and defence equipment to India to build closer ties, Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly as talks over a trade deal progress. Visiting the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Vance hailed what he call

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Vance warns of 'very dark time' without close US-India ties
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 22, 2025 21:54
Updated :
Apr 22, 2025 21:54

US Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Photo : Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS

The United States wants to sell more energy and defence equipment to India to build closer ties, Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly as talks over a trade deal progress.

Visiting the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Vance hailed what he called India's vitality over the "sameness and flatness" of some Western nations. His remarks followed criticism by US President Donald Trump of steep Indian tariffs on cars, farm goods and other products.

The rebalancing of global trade because of Trump's tariff actions is "going to produce great benefits for the people of India," Vance said.

India is trying to position itself as a manufacturing base of choice for the world as China faces high US duties.

"If India and the United States work together successfully, we're going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful," Vance told an audience of a few hundred students, traders, government officials and politicians in Jaipur.

"But I also believe that if we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity."

He said it would be natural for India to buy more defence equipment from the United States, including Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N), opens new tab F-35 fighter jets, as the two countries do regular military exercises.

"We, of course, want to collaborate more," he said. "We want to work together more, and we want your nation to buy more of our military equipment."

He said the US wanted to sell more energy to India and also help it explore its own resources, including offshore natural gas reserves and critical mineral supplies. Nuclear energy is also an important area of focus for both sides.

'SPECIAL PERSON'

Vance is on a mostly personal, four-day visit to India along with his wife, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and their three children.

India is seeking an early trade deal with the US - its largest trading partner - before the end of a 90-day pause on the steep tariffs announced by Trump's administration.

"Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain," Vance said to laughter from the audience.

India, the world's fastest-growing big economy, hopes to "positively conclude" the first part of a trade pact by autumn, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in San Francisco on Monday.

Vance said he and Modi, who hosted Vance's family for dinner at his home on Monday, had made good progress on trade talks and confirmed that the two sides had finalised the terms of reference for the trade negotiation.

"It sets a roadmap toward a final deal between our nations," he said.

Vance has criticised some foreign leaders but was effusive in his praise for Modi, who went to see Vance's family on the birthday of Vance's second son while both leaders were in France for an AI conference in February.

"I think he's a special person," Vance said. "In the past, Washington approached Prime Minister Modi with an attitude of prejudice or even one of condescension. And, as I told Prime Minister Modi last night, he's got approval ratings that would make me jealous."​

 

[Saif]

US VP Vance meets Indian PM Modi for tough talks on trade

US Vice President JD Vance met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a red carpet welcome in New Delhi on Monday, as India bids for an early trade deal to stave off punishing tariffs. Modi’s office said that there had been “significant progress in the negotiations” with the two...

en.prothomalo.com

US VP Vance meets Indian PM Modi for tough talks on trade
The United States is a crucial market for India’s information technology and services sectors. Washington in turn has made billions of dollars in new military hardware sales to New Delhi in recent years.

AFP New Delhi
Published: 22 Apr 2025, 12: 10

This handout photograph taken and released on 21 April 2025 by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) speaking to US Vice President JD Vance during a bilateral meeting at his residence in New Delhi AFP

US Vice President JD Vance met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a red carpet welcome in New Delhi on Monday, as India bids for an early trade deal to stave off punishing tariffs.

Modi’s office said that there had been “significant progress in the negotiations” with the two countries negotiating the first tranche of a trade deal.

New Delhi hopes to secure relief within the 90-day pause on steep tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump this month.

Vance’s office similarly reported “significant progress” in the talks and said the two men had established a roadmap for how economic discussions would proceed.

His four-day visit comes two months after Modi held talks at the White House with Trump, during which India pledged to buy more US oil and gas to offset its trade surplus with Washington.

Yet that did not prevent India from being slapped with 26 per cent tariffs by Trump, later lowered to 10 per cent for the 90-day period.

An honour guard and troupes of folk dancers greeted Vance after he stepped out into the sweltering sunshine of New Delhi on Monday morning, the start of a four-day tour that will include trips to the historic fort city of Jaipur and the Taj Mahal.

“Ad-Vance-ing” US-India ties, broadcaster NDTV headlined its stories.

Modi, who welcomed Vance to his residence on Monday evening with a bear hug, photographs released by the Indian government showed, later hosted the vice president and his family for dinner.

The men discussed boosting “cooperation in energy, defence strategic technologies and other areas”, Modi’s office said, without giving further details.

‘Boost’

Vance’s visit comes during an escalating trade war between the United States and China. India’s neighbour and rival faces US levies of up to 145 per cent on many products.

Beijing has responded with duties of 125 per cent on US goods. New Delhi has reacted cautiously so far.

After Vance’s meetings Monday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he was “pleased to confirm” that Washington and India’s Ministry of Commerce “have finalized the Terms of Reference to lay down a roadmap for the negotiations on reciprocal trade”.

Vance and Modi were also expected to discuss China, seen as a challenger in different domains by both governments. The two democracies are also a part of the “Quad” group with Australia and Japan.

The US vice president is accompanied by his wife Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Together with their three children, who were dressed in traditional flowing Indian attire, they visited the Hindu Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.

Modi said during his visit to Washington that the world’s largest and fifth-largest economies would work on a “mutually beneficial trade agreement”.

The United States is a crucial market for India’s information technology and services sectors. Washington in turn has made billions of dollars in new military hardware sales to New Delhi in recent years.

Modi said he “looks forward” to a visit by Trump to India later this year, New Delhi said in a statement, with a potential Quad summit slated.

Vance, 40, a devout Catholic convert, arrived in New Delhi a day after meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican.

The vice president said his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him”, after the Vatican announced the death of the pope on Monday.​