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Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a joint press statement with U.S. President Donald Trump after their meeting at the White House, in Washington, DC on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (February 14, 2025) 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 U.S. administration’s punitive approach to much of the world.
PM Narendra Modi U.S. visit LIVE
Mr. Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Mr. Trump’s return, described him as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Mr. Trump said that he found a “special bond” with PM Modi and India and complimented Mr. Modi as being a “much tougher negotiator” than he is.
Successive U.S. administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Mr. Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top U.S. military prizes — F-35s.
“Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Mr. Trump told a joint news conference with Mr. Modi.
“We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump, who has previously complained about Indian tariffs, agreed with Modi that the two countries would work together on a trade deal.
“In order to ensure India’s energy security, we will focus on trade in oil and gas,” Mr. Modi said, expecting a “mutually beneficial trade agreement” would come “very soon.”
Joining Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Modi was SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, who has launched an aggressive effort as Mr. Trump’s right-hand man to overhaul the U.S. bureaucracy.
Mr. Musk also held a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Modi earlier Thursday, in an encounter that drew questions over whether the world’s richest man was meeting the Indian premier in an official or a 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.
Mr. Modi said later that he has known Mr. Musk since before he became Prime Minister.
Published – February 14, 2025 06:33 am IST
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Donald Trump says U.S. will sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to India
