Washington: India-US ties appear to be recovering some of their normal cadence, with trade negotiators resuming talks in Delhi and Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New York, and a US Congressional delegation visiting India, all within the past week.
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a "very, very positive" relationship and will meet soon, according to a senior State Department official, underlining that planning is underway for the next Quad Summit, expected either later this year or in early 2026.
India is slated to host leaders from the US, Australia, and Japan for the Quad summit before the year's end. The 2024 edition of the summit was held in the US at Wilmington, Delaware.
"In terms of meetings coming soon, I certainly don't want to get ahead of announcing anything for the President, but I'm sure you'll see the two (PM Modi and President Trump) meet," the State Department official was quoted as saying in several media reports. "They have a very, very positive relationship. We've got a Quad Summit, we're working on planning, so at some point that will happen, if not this year, early next year. Working on the dates of that," the official said.
Describing the ongoing US-India engagements as "incredibly productive", the official said "continuous positive developments" are expected in the coming months. The official also referred to Trump's recent phone call to Modi to wish him on his 75th birthday, describing the exchange as "incredibly positive".
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'I’m a huge fan of India': US Energy Secretary US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has hailed New Delhi as an “awesome ally” and said he is a “huge fan of India,” while calling for deeper energy cooperation between the two countries. Addressing a press conference in New York, Wright praised the country as a “dynamic society” with a “rapidly growing energy demand.” “A lot of my early time when I arrived in my position was dealing with India, the world's largest democracy, an awesome ally of the United States, a fast-growing economy, a truly dynamic society that has rapidly growing energy demand because people are increasing their prosperity, their opportunities. I'm a huge fan of India. We love India,” he added. Wright also mentioned the “friction” between the two sides on India’s purchase of Russian oil, saying that US President Donald Trump is attempting to use his tools and leverage to bring peace in Ukraine. “We want to bring that war to an end. I believe the Indians want to bring that war to an end,” he said. Wright stressed that the United States wants to “expand our energy cooperation” with India. |
