PM Modi Likely To Visit US For UNGA In September; Trade Talks With Trump On Agenda

Besides President Trump, Prime Minister Modi is also likely to hold high-level discussions with other global leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as per the reports.

Photo Credit: IANS

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the United States next month to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, with plans underway to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The meeting would aim to address key trade issues amid a period of strained ties, sources have told India Today.

Besides President Trump, Prime Minister Modi is also likely to hold high-level discussions with other global leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The UNGA session will be held in New York City in September, with world leaders scheduled to begin arriving in the week commencing 23 September.

If the proposed meeting goes ahead, it will mark the second encounter between Modi and Trump in just seven months. The two leaders last met during Modi's visit to the White House in February this year, according to reports.

During Trump’s first term in office, he and Modi cultivated a close personal rapport. However, that camaraderie has come under strain in Trump’s second term, largely due to his aggressive stance on tariffs, despite his continued public references to Modi as a “friend”.

That said, the much-anticipated Modi-Trump meeting still hinges on a number of unresolved issues.

Foremost among them is progress on the India–US bilateral trade agreement, which has been deadlocked due to India’s reluctance to open its agriculture and dairy markets to American companies.

Tensions were further inflamed when Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods, with an additional 25% duty levied in response to India’s ongoing imports of Russian oil, bringing the total tariff burden to 50%.

Half of these tariffs took effect on 7 August, while the remaining are scheduled to be implemented on 27 August. As that deadline approaches, Indian and US officials are engaged in intense negotiations to finalise a trade pact that could potentially ease the situation.

Another significant point of contention in bilateral ties is India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. The White House argues that these purchases are helping to fund Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly criticised India over the matter, pressuring New Delhi to curtail its imports from Russia, apparently in the belief that putting pressure on a major trade partner would compel Moscow to reconsider its military campaign.

India, however, has pushed back strongly against the criticism. Officials have accused Washington of double standards, pointing out that US companies continue to purchase uranium, fertilisers, and chemicals from Russia.

India is also expected to keep a close watch on the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for 15 August, where the two leaders are set to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict that has now entered its fourth year.