Trump to welcome India’s prime minister to White House

In an acknowledgment that US-backed forces are not winning and Taliban militants are resurgent, the Trump Administration is again poised to deploy thousands more troops in Afghanistan. Modi would like to make India’s case once again when he meets Trump at a time when the Trump administration is also discussing various tough options vis-à-vis Pakistan such as expanding USA drone strikes, redirecting or withholding some aid to Pakistan and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally.

A senior White House official said last Friday the U.S. is interested in providing India the kind of high technology it provides to its closest allies and defense partners. Modi’s maiden trip to the USA under the Trump administration comes on the heels of several high-level visits between the two countries.

“This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries”, Netanyahu said.

When Modi meets Trump on Tuesday, the news channels will go to town about Modi being the first PM to have dinner with Trump. While it was widely expected that both leaders will focus largely on economic issues pertaining to trade and investments, the focal point of their conversation seems to have been combating terrorism in Afghanistan where the menace Taliban has again raised its ugly head where it was clear that United States wanted India to play a larger role, sources told BusinessLine. In a big fillip to already robust ties, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to land in Israel on July 4 on a three-day visit. “We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism”.

He expressed India’s desire to work with the United States for promoting the partnership, said Baglay while briefing the media on these meetings. “The logic of our strategic relationship is incontrovertible”.

Tillerson had said this during a meeting here with visiting foreign secretary S Jaishankar last week.

Maya Mirchandani, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank, says the fact it has taken until now for Trump to sit down with Modi has prompted anxiety in India that New Delhi is no longer a priority in the Oval Office. Parikh said he expects Trump and Modi to discuss bilateral defence deals, the H1B visa, other immigration issues and the historic Paris climate deal.

“We’ll see the coming together of two most followed leaders on social media” a top White House official said and slipped in the angle of how “Trump’s follows are slightly higher”.

David McKeeby, spokesman for the State Department bureau of political-military affairs, said it does not comment on proposed defense sales before Congress is formally notified.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) president Mukesh Aghi said the CEOs praised the reforms being undertaken by the Prime Minister and underscore his efforts to make India a business-friendly destination.

Both the CEOs and the prime minister were looking forward to building this relationship, he said, adding that Modi responded to every question raised by the CEOs. Their warm relationship was evident throughout the trip, cemented by a number of public hugs.

Some commentators have suggested Modi and Trump should have a natural affinity, having both risen to power in part by castigating the traditional ruling elite while offering a strongly nationalistic vision. Trump has 32.8 million followers. Both also have surrogates who have pushed divisive identity issues to the forefront of politics, and they have been described by journalist Ashok Singh as “theatrical and… narcissistic”.

Pichai told reporters after the meeting that American businesses were excited about investing in India.

Administration officials expected India to raise concerns about restrictions on certain exports.

Trump has so far focused on outreach to China, India’s strategic rival, as he looks to Beijing to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea.