To the outside world, US President Donald Trump may come across as mercurial, transactional, and less dependable. For India, however, he has been a consistent ally, partly due to his great chemistry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A meeting planned at short notice and with little time for back-channel negotiations has delivered a great deal on optics as well as substantive issues. Just look at the range of announcements made following the conclusion of the meeting of the two leaders at the White House on Thursday. Together, they announced COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology for the 21st Century), an initiative aimed at taking bilateral relations to a new level in defence, investment, trade, energy, and innovation, among other areas. Some of the targets set may seem quite ambitious.
The 'Mission 500'
For instance, on the economic front, “Mission 500” was announced, aiming to take bilateral trade to an unprecedented $500 billion in five years. The bilateral trade between the two countries currently stands at $129 billion, and Mission 500 aims for a four-fold increase in just five years. With accelerated cooperation in the fields of energy—conventional as well as nuclear—and defence expected from now onwards, the ambitious target seems achievable.
Yet another initiative, TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology), was launched to enhance partnership in critical and emerging technologies, with a joint India-US Artificial Intelligence Roadmap to be finalised by the end of this year. The choice of acronyms—COMPACT and TRUST—is aimed at delivering the right kind of message.
Of the many other announcements, those regarding defence, energy collaboration, deepening people-to-people ties, and a promised liberal extradition regime stand out. President Trump announced that the extradition of 26/11 convict Tahawwur Rana to India had been approved and promised that other such proposals would also be favourably considered. This raises hopes that the extradition of the Bishnois and Brars of the world is within the realm of possibility now. The Bishnoi gang is accused of masterminding several high-profile criminal cases in India.
On The Russia-Ukraine Conflict
All the announcements made signal a significant way forward on substantive issues impacting the two great nations, both going through big transformations themselves. On multilateral cooperation too, the kind of initiatives Trump has taken may work to the advantage of India.
Trump's recent calls with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky may have surprised the US' European allies. Trump described his interaction with Putin, the first since his return to the White House in January, as “highly productive.” PM Modi lauded Trump's efforts and said that India is not neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war and stands with peace. He reiterated his message to Putin during their meeting last year, emphasizing that this is not an era of war.
The beginning of the Trump-Putin dialogue and an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has the twin advantage of ushering in an era of price stability across the world and realigning global forces. The emerging order may put brakes on China's growing ambition and keep India close to all the key stakeholders. On the question of the evolving situation in Bangladesh, President Trump said he would leave it to PM Modi. The answer clearly underscores the fact that while the US President is preoccupied with other issues, he has yet to take a call on whether recalibration is required in Bangladesh.
'A Great Leader'
The chemistry between the two leaders was quite evident when Trump told the media prior to the meeting that “Prime Minister Modi is a great leader,” and added that “we are going to make some wonderful trade deals for India and the US".
During the joint press conference after the meeting, when President Trump was asked about who is a tougher and better negotiator—him or Prime Minister Modi—he swiftly replied, “he is a much tougher negotiator than me and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest.” Indeed, the kind of traits PM Modi will require to deal with an unpredictable Trump presidency.
(Sanjay Pugalia is the CEO & Editor-in-Chief, AMG Media Network)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
