PM Modi and US President Donald Trump held bilateral talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump today held extensive talks covering the entire spectrum of bilateral ties, including the key areas of defence, security, and trade and investment.
During their talks at the Hyderabad House here, the two leaders reportedly deliberated on regional issues, including the US' proposed peace deal with the Taliban, the situation in the Indo-Pacific, the threat of terrorism and the situation in the Middle-East or Gulf region.
In his brief remarks at the talks before the media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the US President and thanked him for taking time out for the visit to India.
President Trump, in turn, said the last two days in India were amazing, especially the event at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.
"It was a great honour for me. I would imagine they (the people) were there maybe more for you than for me... 125,000 people were inside. Every time I mentioned your name, there were cheers. People love you," President Trump told PM Modi in front of the media.
After the talks, the two sides will seal defence deals worth around USD 3 billion.
Earlier, President Trump was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi welcomed President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The US President also received a tri-services guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Trumps, who also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat in Delhi, arrived in Ahmedabad around noon on Monday for the first leg of their 36-hour India visit.
The US President was feted at the world's largest cricket stadium in the 'Namaste Trump' event and was cheered by hundreds of thousands of people.
From Ahmedabad, he and his delegation travelled to Agra where they visited the Taj Mahal. The US President arrived in the national capital around 7:30 pm on Monday.
In his address at the massive 'Namaste Trump' event at Motera stadium in Ahmedabad, the US President announced that deals to sell state-of-the-art military helicopters and other equipment worth over USD 3 billion will be sealed between the two countries today.
The deals will include procurement of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters by India from the US at a cost of USD 2.6 billion. Another contract to acquire six AH-64E Apache helicopters for USD 800 million from the US is also on the table.
Talking about defence and strategic ties between the two countries, President Trump said the US is looking forward to providing India with some of the best and most feared military equipment on the planet.
"We make the greatest weapons ever made: airplanes, missiles, rockets, ships. We make the best. And we're dealing now with India. But this includes advanced air defence systems and armed and unarmed aerial vehicles," President Trump said.