Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the United States, Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), highlighted the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, calling the meeting between PM Modi and President Donald Trump a “fantastic opportunity” to advance key priorities for both nations, particularly in economic growth, defense cooperation, and technological collaboration.
Aghi emphasized the importance of the meeting, stating, “It is a fantastic opportunity for both leaders and the two countries… Trump is working to drive change both domestically and internationally, and India is looking to increase investments and gain access to advanced technology from the US. Both leaders understand each other’s priorities, and they share a strong, warm relationship. This is an important moment to set the agenda for the next four years.”
On defense cooperation, Aghi highlighted the robust partnership between India and the US, noting the unique joint exercises that the two countries conduct. “Defence cooperation between the US and India is very strong. There are no other countries that have as many joint exercises as the US and India,” he observed.
Aghi also mentioned that President Trump hopes for India to place defense orders with the US. “There are expectations from President Trump to see if India can engage in defense orders. It all depends on what PM Modi and the defense teams are seeking,” he said.
In a similar vein, Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of ORF America, identified four main areas to watch for in the outcome of the PM Modi-Trump meeting. Among them, defense agreements will be a major focus. Jaishankar outlined two expected types of agreements:
- Acquiring US Inventory – India is likely to seek more US aircraft and other military equipment.
- Co-production and Technological Benefits – India aims to secure co-production or co-technological benefits for new platforms, aligning with its strategic priorities.
Jaishankar explained, “There will be two kinds of defense agreements, reflecting the different priorities of the US and India. India already has some US inventory, like aircraft, and may look to acquire more. For the US, this is important because it creates jobs and helps narrow the trade deficit, which is a major priority for President Trump. The other set of issues involves new platforms, where India will seek co-production or technological benefits.”
PM Modi is scheduled to visit the US on February 12-13 at the invitation of President Trump. This will be their first meeting since President Trump began his second term in office.