Following a warm reception from US president Donald Trump at the Oval office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had crucial discussions with the second term US president on collaborations that can strengthen the ties between the two countries.

With Trump’s call to ‘Make America Great Again’ and PM Modi’s vision for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, the two leaders found common purpose in a ‘mega partnership for prosperity’ that serves both countries.

The meeting took place in the backdrop of Trump coming down heavily on what he calls ‘unfair’ trade tariffs imposed on US exports, therefore economic collaboration took centrestage. The two leaders found ways to restore the trade balance with significant announcements made on defence and energy partnerships.

Defence: Trump announced that the US would increase military exports to India, with a roadmap being made for the delivery of F-35 stealth fighters to New Delhi. Military trade will receive a boost starting from 2025 itself.

Energy: In another significant announcement, US said it aims to be a major energy trading partner for India, hiking its exports of oil and gas to the country. Trump also spoke of investing in India’s nuclear infrastructure at a time when India is seeking to reform its laws to welcome foreign partnerships in this technologically intensive sector.

Trade: PM Modi said the United States and India have set a target of doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. The leaders also agreed to discuss a trade deal in the near future. Meanwhile, the import of US oil and gas will help narrow the trade deficit between the two countries.

Space, Tech: PM Modi said that India and US will jointly work on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum biotechnology and other significant areas of rising technological importance. The two nations have also agreed to cooperate on critical minerals, advanced materials and pharmaceuticals. India-US space cooperation will be developed further. It was announced that the Nisar satellite, developed with mutual cooperation between ISRO and NASA, will be flying on an Indian launch vehicle soon.

Security: National security and cooperation on eliminating terrorism also took centrestage. Trump said that the US had approved the extradition of one of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack plotters Tahawwur Rana to step up anti-terror cooperation. At the same time the two leaders also pledged to uproot the “ecosystem” which is involved in “human trafficking”.