India has agreed to buy more American fossil fuels and combat aircraft, and to ease tariffs on imported goods, after its prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump met at the White House on Thursday.
Mr Trump had repeatedly threatened to impose punitive tariffs against India if it did not make concessions to shrink the trade deficit between the two countries. Hours before the two leaders met, Mr Trump complained about the climate for American businesses in India and threatened tariffs against any country that puts high duties on US imports.
“Prime minister Modi recently announced the reductions to India's unfair, very strong tariffs that limit us access to the Indian market, very strongly," Mr Trump said. "And really it's a big problem I must say."
At a joint news conference after their talks, both leaders spoke about their warm personal relations while emphasising their focus on their own national interests.
Mr Modi made several references to Mr Trump's Maga slogan – "Make America Great Again" – and at one point suggested he would adopt his own version: "It's Make India Great Again - Miga.
"Maga plus Miga...[is a] mega-partnership for prosperity,” he added.
India’s foreign secretary said the two leaders agreed to work on a deal to resolve trade concerns, with a senior Trump administration official adding that a deal could be reached as soon as this year.
Delhi wants to double its trade with Washington by 2030 and make the US its “number one supplier” for oil and gas, Mr Modi said.
Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, India has become the world’s biggest buyer of discounted Russian crude, with Moscow supplying nearly 40 per cent of its total imports, despite Western pressure to cut ties with Russia.
A shift toward more US oil and gas raises concerns about India's own climate commitments. Mr Modi has often talked up his green credentials and committed the country to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, with a focus on expanding renewables. Increasing fossil fuel imports from the US, the world’s largest producer of oil and gas, risks locking in carbon-heavy infrastructure.
Domestically, Mr Trump has vowed to “drill baby drill”, aiming to increase oil and gas production in the US, and has pulled the country out of the Paris Agreement.
Beyond energy, the meeting highlighted growing strategic ties between India and the US, particularly when it comes to defence. Mr Trump announced that Washington is considering supplying India with F-35 stealth fighters – just days after Russia offered Delhi a deal on its own Su-57 jets.
Indian officials later said the F-35 deal was a proposal at this point, with no formal process underway.
The two leaders agreed to deepen security cooperation in the Indo Pacific, a thinly veiled reference to competition with China, as well as to start joint production on technologies like artificial intelligence. The two countries have also agreed to advance long-planned cooperation on nuclear energy, after India’s most recent Budget included a policy to liberalise regulations around liability for nuclear disasters.
Despite the warmth on display between the two leaders and the talk of closer cooperation, Mr Trump again raised the threat of tariff hikes during their press conference. "Whatever India charges, we charge them,” he said.
Mr Modi vowed to protect India's interests. "One thing that I deeply appreciate, and I learn from President Trump, is that he keeps the national interest supreme. Like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else."
