Washington – In a news conference Thursday, President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to emphasize their strong relationship and areas where the two countries would work together. The two also fielded questions on Mr. Trump’s deportation program, tariffs and ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Mr. Trump declined to say what Russia should give up in negotiations to end its war in Ukraine.
“Maybe Russia will give up a lot. Maybe they won’t,” he said. “The negotiation really hasn’t started.” He reiterated that he did not believe that Ukraine could be a member of NATO, suggesting that Ukraine provoked Russia by trying to join the military alliance.
The president also revealed that he expects China to catch up to Russia and the U.S. as a nuclear power “soon.”
“He’s building a very strong nuclear power,” Mr. Trump said of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “He’s not very close to Russia and the United States right now, but he will be soon. He’ll catch up over the period of four or five years, they say.”
Mr. Trump said he plans to meet with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the future to talk about denuclearization.
“The whole world is on fire. I have to put out the fires,” he said. “But after I put out the fires, I’m going to meet with China, I’m going to meet with Russia, and we’re going to see if we can deescalate it, we can bring it down military, especially as it pertains to nuclear.”
in his opening remarks, Mr. Trump said, “There is truly a special bond between the United States and India, the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy.”
He also announced that the U.S. would be increasing military sales to India and that the two countries “will be working together like never before to confront the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.”
He also said they had reached an agreement on oil and gas that would make the U.S. the leading supplier to India. The countries will also team up to create “one of the greatest trade routes in all of history,” Mr. Trump said, explaining that it would run from “India to Israel to Italy and onward to the United States” and include ports, railways and undersea cables.
Modi announced that India would soon open new consulates in Los Angeles and Boston. India currently has a half dozen diplomatic missions throughout the U.S., including in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.
The Indian leader said his country was prepared to take back any of its citizens who are in the U.S. illegally, but said that some are lured abroad “by big dreams and big promises” but become trafficked.
Trump, Modi stress united front, even as Trump announces new reciprocal tariffs
Trade and tariffs were expected to top the agenda during Modi’s visit, and the Indian prime minister is hoping to avoid the brunt of the president’s new tariffs. Mr. Trump’s increased tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are scheduled to go into effect next month. Ahead of Modi’s visit, Mr. Trump said there would be no exceptions or exemptions.
With tariffs looming, Mr. Trump said it was “very important that we remain united as countries.”
“We’re friends and we’re going to stay that way,” he said alongside Modi in the Oval Office.
For his part, Modi congratulated the president on his election victory, and expressed hope that the partnership between the two countries would continue to strengthen.
The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, and India is the United States’ 10th-largest trading partner, according to U.S. Census Bureau data and Indian government data.
“They charge more tariffs than any other country,” Mr. Trump said of India on Thursday, adding that whatever tariffs India imposes on the U.S., the U.S. will impose on India.
Last year, Mr. Trump called India, the most populous country in the world, a “big tariff abuser.”
Before meeting with Mr. Trump Thursday, Modi met separately with Elon Musk, posting photos of the visit. Mr. Trump was asked whether Musk met with Modi in his capacity as a CEO or as a representative of his government.
“I don’t know; they met,” Mr. Trump said. “And I assume he wants to do business in India.”
During his first term, Mr. Trump had a strong relationship with Modi and received a warm welcome from the Indian people when he visited in 2020. Whether the president plans to make exceptions to any tariffs for India could show the strength of where their relationship stands now.
In addition to trade, the two men are also likely to discuss China. They may also talk about immigration. The first plane carrying deported Indian migrants has already returned to India from the U.S., since the Trump administration has been flying undocumented immigrants back to their country of origin.
