Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump had a high-level bilateral meeting at the White House. The discussions included major sectors like trade, defense, and counterterrorism, following Trump's comments criticizing India's business practices and trade tariffs. Nevertheless, both leaders insisted on their intentions to strengthen relationships and collaborate on mutual economic and security interests.

Extradition of Tahawwur Rana: 

Among the key announcements at the meeting was the approval of Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India. Rana, who is a Pakistani-born Canadian, is a prime suspect in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and has been held in US custody in Los Angeles. 

President Trump called him "very evil" and pointed out the need to bring him to justice in India. This is a clear stand by the US against terrorism and points to the increased collaboration between both countries in combating global security challenges.

India to receive F-35 fighter aircraft

India and the US have taken a major step toward growing their defense cooperation, with Trump stating that Washington is proceeding with the sale of F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets to India. 

Military sales to India would rise by billions of dollars in the next few years, Trump said, boosting India's defense capabilities. The two leaders also talked about deepening cooperation on crucial areas including critical technologies, connectivity, and energy security.

Increasing energy trade: US to be a major supplier to India

An important aspect of the talks involved increasing energy trade. Trump said that America is becoming one of the major providers of oil and gas to India to close the trade deficit. He pointed out India's excessively high tariffs ranging up to 70% on US goods as a major trade issue. However, he noted that Prime Minister Modi had “in good faith” agreed to lower some of these tariffs.

“India imposes a 30, 40, 60, and even 70 percent tariff on so many goods, and in some cases, far more than that,” Trump stated. 

He also added that excessive tariffs on US automobiles made it “almost impossible” for US producers to compete in India. Modi promised that the issues would be addressed and work towards a balanced trade agreement.

Eliminating terrorism

Both the leaders reaffirmed their determination against terrorism, and Modi thanked Trump for his consent to Rana's extradition. Modi reiterated that India and America are united in their stand against terrorism and called for strong action against cross-border terror.

“India and the US will stand firmly together in the fight against terrorism,” Modi said. “We agree that eliminating cross-border terrorism requires decisive actions. I am deeply thankful to President Trump that a criminal responsible for the 2008 genocide in India will now be handed over to us.”

Trade tariffs

During the talks, Trump didn't leave any stone unturned in putting India's protectionism down. He cited how India has consistently ranked among the top countries to impose high tariffs and accepted the point that this restricts it from becoming accessible for American business firms to trade.

“India’s been to us just about the highest tariff nation in the world,” Trump remarked. “I don’t blame them necessarily, but it’s a different way of doing business. It’s very hard to sell into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs.”

Trump also shared his plan to address such imbalances, declaring, “We’re just going to say: ‘Whatever you charge, we charge.’” This signals a shift towards a more reciprocal trade approach between the two nations.

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