Modi To Meet Trump On Feb 13, U.S. Looks To Renew Defence Cooperation Framework
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding his first bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump coming Thursday where both sides will be talking difficult issues creeping in the two-way ties from trade tariffs to defence acquisitions.
Modi’s US Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding his first bilateral meeting with United States President Donald Trump on February 13 even as both sides are expected to talk tough on trade while Washington will be keen to take up the matter concerning the renewal of Defence Cooperation Framework for the next 10 years, ABP Live has learnt.
Prime Minister Modi will be arriving in Washington DC on February 12 from France. He will be meeting President Trump for the official talks the following day and high on agenda will be issues concerning addressing the widening trade deficit between both countries – something that the new U.S. administration is focussed on addressing.
The U.S., on the other hand, is planning to address the issue of growing trade deficit with India, which is almost reaching $50 billion, by way of greater defence sales and for that Washington is keen to “review and renew” the Comprehensive Framework on Defence Cooperation, sources told ABP Live.
This was last updated in 2015 for a period of ten years. The upgraded framework will be effective from 2025 till 2035.
According to the sources, the U.S. has drawn up a list of items it wants to sell to India from fighter planes to drones to high-end radar systems.
“President Trump and Prime Minister Modi already had one conversation. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have talked about the need to deepen defense trade between our nations. They will meet in-person on Thursday… Defence cooperation will remain a major pillar in the US-India bilateral relationship,” said Jorgan K. Andrews, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, at the ongoing Aero India 2025.
“The U.S. defense industry has demonstrated its commitment to partnering with India to provide high-quality, technologically advanced defense equipment and systems that are considered the most operationally reliable in the world,” he added.
The U.S. is showcasing several of its defense equipment and technology, including F-16, F-35, KC-135 Stratotanker, and B-1 bomber at Aero India in an effort to offer them to the Indian armed forces.
India has contracted for more than $20 billion U.S.-origin defence articles since 2008. Major US-origin platforms in use include C-130J, C-17, Apache, Chinook, MH60R helicopters, and P8I.
Trump Calls India 'Tariff King'
Modi’s visit to the U.S. assumes crucial importance in the wake of Trump’s constant jibe against India labelling the country as "tariff king" and a "big abuser" of trade ties.
On Sunday, Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum which is expected to adversely impact India’s export of these items. He took a similar decision during his last tenure.
The U.S. President has already announced imposing tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico. While he did impose 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, the new U.S. administration did not put any tariff on Canada and Mexico.
Sources told ABP Live, that India is bracing up for a potential imposition of tariffs on its export to that country. New Delhi is expecting Washington to raise the issue of initiating talks for having a trade deal, which was one of the main focus areas during Trump’s last tenure.
The U.S. is one of the largest trading partners of India with overall bilateral trade in goods and services reaching $190 billion in 2023. During FY 2023-24, the U.S. was the third largest source of foreign direct investment into India with inflows of $4.99 billion.
Over 160 Indian companies have a cumulative investment of over $40 billion dollars in the U.S. Over 2000 American companies have a cumulative investment of over $60 billion in India.
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