Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S., amid America’s ongoing deportation of illegal Indian migrants, holds significant importance for both nations. On Friday, PM Modi met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., to discuss the India-U.S. bilateral partnership across various sectors.
What were the key takeaways? Here are seven crucial points every Indian must know.
1- $500 billion trade by 2030
Bilateral Trade Target Set At $500 billion by 2030
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India and the United States have jointly set a target of doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. Two nations will work on concluding a mutually beneficial trade agreement very soon.
President Trump often talks about MAGA.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2025
In India, we are working towards a Viksit Bharat, which in American context translates into MIGA.
And together, the India-USA have a MEGA partnership for prosperity!@POTUS @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/i7WzVrxKtv
“We have … set ourselves the target of more than doubling our bilateral trade to attain $500 billion by 2030. Our teams will work on concluding very soon, a mutually beneficial trade agreement,” Modi said at a press conference after a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.
President Donald J. Trump and Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi 🇺🇸🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/5w7n5uRdmL
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 13, 2025
Deportation Row
During the talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s stance on the illegal immigration issue. and said that if “people are living in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back”.PM Modi said that illegal immigrants are generally people from ordinary families who are “shown big dreams, and most of them are misled and brought” to the United States.
While firmly opposing illegal migration, PM Modi has emphasized the need to dismantle the entire ecosystem at its roots to eradicate human trafficking. “Our bigger fight is against that entire ecosystem and we are confident that President Trump will fully cooperate with India in finishing this ecosystem,” Modi said. His comment came weeks after India accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a US military plane for the first time after Donald Trump became US president for the second time. Another 2 flights with deported Indians will be arriving at Amritsar on 15 and 16 of February.
Tahawwur Rana and 26/11 Mumbai Attacks
President Donald Trump had announced the extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India. PM Modi appreciated the decisions while he was in Washington at the time of the announcement. “I am thankful to the president that he has decided to extradite a criminal to India who committed genocide in 2008 in India. The courts in India will take proper action,” PM Modi said.
F-35 Fighter Jets To India
President Trump also announced to provide F-35 fighter jets to India. This deal would make India join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35. “Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters ultimately,” Trump said.
Trump also said that India is going to reform its laws to boost the entry of US nuclear technology. He added that this important deal on energy, will make the US a major supplier of oil and natural gas to India.
On Indo-China Issue
President Trump addressed ongoing conflicts, including the India-China border tensions and the war in Ukraine. “I look at India, I do see the skirmishes on the border, which are quite vicious, and I guess they continue to go on. If I could be of help, I’d love to help, because that should be stopped,” the US President said.
Civil Nuclear Agreement
PM Modi and US president Donald Trump hailed 2025 as a pioneering year for U.S.-India civil space cooperation, with plans for a NASA-ISRO effort through AXIOM to bring the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), and early launch of the joint “NISAR” mission, the first of its kind to systematically map changes to the Earth’s surface using dual radars, the statement said.
Quad Initiatives
Prime Minister Modi is eagerly anticipating hosting President Trump in New Delhi for the Quad Leaders’ Summit. Ahead of the event, both leaders plan to launch new Quad initiatives, including enhancing shared airlift capacity for disaster response and strengthening maritime patrols for better coordination, according to the statement.
