Trump and Modi discuss agreements: Trade route India-US, tariffs, and F35

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a visit to the US, and US President Donald Trump addressed the media at a joint press conference in Washington, where they announced new agreements between their countries. The leaders’ meeting lasted over an hour before the conference.

According to Trump, the US plans to significantly increase military sales to India, amounting to billions of dollars. He also revealed that the US is close to finalizing a deal to ultimately provide India with F-35 stealth fighter jets.

"Prime Minister Modi recently announced the reductions to India's unfair, very strong tariffs that limit US access into the Indian market," the US president stated.

Trump also stated that the United States and India would continue working together to counter the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.

Additionally, the American president announced US participation in a large-scale project to build a trade route connecting India to America.

"We agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes in all history. It will run from India to Venezuela to Italy and all the way to the United States, connecting our partners by ports, railways and undersea cables," Trump said.

For his part, Modi revealed that the two countries have set a goal to more than double their bilateral trade, aiming to reach $500 billion by 2030.

The Indian prime minister also highlighted a focus on oil and gas trade, adding that investments in energy infrastructure, particularly in the nuclear energy sector, would see significant growth.

Updates on US-India relations

During Donald Trump's first presidential term, he had a warm relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, analysts later observed that ties between Washington and New Delhi became strained.

At the end of 2024, the US Department of Justice accused Indian magnate and Modi ally Gautam Adani of bribery. Additionally, the administration of then-President Joe Biden accused an Indian official of attempting to organize the murder of a US citizen in New York, which was thwarted.

Meanwhile, this winter, Modi took steps to avoid any trade disputes between the US and India. Bloomberg reported that the Indian prime minister swiftly made several concessions to the White House.

Recent reports in the Western press revealed that India is negotiating with the US to purchase and co-produce Stryker combat vehicles. Furthermore, India is finalizing a deal for the joint production of jet engines. This information surfaced shortly before Modi's planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.