India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has highlighted that trade and investment will be a major “priority,” in the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, set to take place at the White House on February 13, 2025.

“I would again not prejudge the outcome of the discussions, but I am sure that there will be very intense discussions on this issue,” Misri told reporters in New Delhi on February 7th during a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming foreign visits to France and the United States.

Misri emphasized the significance of Modi’s early White House invitation, describing it as a testament to the importance of the India-U.S. partnership and the bipartisan support it enjoys in Washington.

The visit will be a “valuable opportunity,” he conveyed noting it will serve as an opportunity to engage the new administration on all areas of mutual interest.

PM Modi’s Travel to France and US

PM Modi will travel to France from February 10-12, 2025, to attend and co-chair the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Following this, he will embark on an official working visit to the United States from February 12-13, marking his first meeting with President Donald Trump since his second-term inauguration.

According to him, the visit will include a bilateral meeting with President Trump in both restricted and delegation-level formats. He added that PM Modi will also have engagements with senior U.S. administration officials, business leaders, and the Indian diaspora.

“This has been one of our strongest international partnerships in recent years. And Prime Minister’s visit is in line with our steady engagement with the new administration following the election of President Trump in November 2024. You would recall that during the first term of President Trump, Prime Minister visited the United States on two occasions in 2017 and 2019,” he added. 

He noted that PM Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his re-election and that their upcoming meeting reflects a commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. The Prime Minister called President Trump to congratulate him and “it was on that occasion that they agreed to meet very soon,” he said.

Rapport Between PM Modi and President Trump

He also recalled that Minister Jaishankar had earlier attended President Trump’s inauguration as PM Modi’s special envoy. He said Minister Jaishankar also participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, one of the first plurilateral engagements of the new administration, alongside newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both Minister Jaishankar and Secretary Rubio also held their first bilateral meeting. 

Misri highlighted the longstanding rapport between PM Modi and President Trump, dating back to Trump’s first term, and underscored the strategic convergence between India and the U.S. across trade, technology, defense, counterterrorism, and the Indo-Pacific region.

“The 5.4 million strong Indian community in the U.S. and the more than 350,000 Indian students studying in American universities strengthen this bond immeasurably,” he said.

Expressing optimism about the upcoming visit, Misri said that it would provide “direction and impetus” to the India-U.S. partnership.

Mistreatment of Indian Nationals 

Misri said India has voiced concerns to the United States over the alleged mistreatment of Indian nationals while being deported on a U.S. military aircraft to Amritsar, Punjab, on February 5th.

“It is a valid issue to raise, and we continue to emphasize to U.S. authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees. But this is a continuing exercise and conversation, and we will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention,” Misri said. 

Misri described the prevailing ecosystem thriving on promoting illegal migration as a “real cancer,” and noted action will be taken against them. 

“This is the work of organized gangs who deceive innocent and unsuspecting people, extract large sums of money from them, and send them abroad—only for them to be forced to return under such circumstances. There is a need for strict action against them,” Misri said, echoing Minister Jaishankar’s call for strong measures against such networks.

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