Trump, Modi share hugs, herald ties
U.S. sanctions on rebel leader pleases Indians
WASHINGTON — Hugging outside the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi heralded an increasingly close strategic partnership as the U.S. branded a top militant from neighboring Pakistan as a “global terrorist.”
Trump declared he was a “true friend” of India and said relations between the two largest democracies have never been better. But there were some tensions in the inaugural meeting between the two populist leaders. On trade, Trump demanded fewer barriers for American companies exporting to India.
Speaking in the Rose Garden after their talks, Trump said: “Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism, and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism.”
Modi, a Hindu nationalist but also leader of a nation with nearly 175 million Muslims, did not use the same terminology. He stressed the importance of “doing away” with terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens, reflecting Indian concerns about militants based in Pakistan, India’s historical archrival. He said the U.S. and India will enhance intelligence-sharing.
Hours before Modi’s arrival, the State Department imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, the main rebel group that fights against Indian control in the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir. India’s foreign ministry hailed the move.
Trump has so far focused on outreach to China, India’s other strategic rival, as he looks to Beijing to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea. But Washington and New Delhi share concerns about China’s rise as a military power that have underpinned increasingly close relations in the past decade.
The Trump administration says it wants to provide India with improved defense technology. The State Department on Monday approved the $365 million sale of a C-17 military transport aircraft to India. The administration is also set to offer a $2 billion sale of U.s.-made unarmed drones to help in surveillance of the Indian Ocean.
Although Modi’s two-day Washington visit, which began Sunday, is lower-key than his previous three trips to the U.S. since he took office in 2014, it has included plenty of one-on-one time with Trump.
Modi later joined the president and first lady for dinner — the first dinner Trump has hosted for a foreign dignitary at the White House, although he has hosted the leaders of Japan and China at his resort in Florida.