A MEGA push for India-US ties

Trump-Modi meeting scores high on bilateral trade, technology and energy collaborations

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with US President Donald Trump in his second term produced numerous outcomes that overwhelmingly point to continuity in the overall arc of the India-US relationship, especially in the key areas of defence, trade and the technology partnership. This is significant in view of the turbulence seen in the US's relations with other long-standing partners around the world. Modi's calculated gamble to refresh his relationship with Trump in the early days of the latter's second presidency, and the Indian side's focus on the transactional aspect of the American leader's character, appear to have paid off. Keeping in mind the prompts from Washington ahead of the visit about buying more US-made weaponry, India signalled its intention to procure or co-produce hardware such as the Javelin anti-tank missile, Stryker combat vehicles and six more P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. In trade, the two countries aim to finalise the first part of a bilateral trade deal by the third quarter, and the Indian side has spoken of the possibility of energy purchases from the US being ram