world’s largest Motera Cricket Stadium in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state that his administration had very good ties with Pakistan.
There was a huge applause going on as Trump spoke of the US anti-terror efforts and the US-India ties with Modi also seen joining the crowd for ovation.
The roars of appreciations turned into a pin-drop silence when Trump said ‘the Pakistan-US relationship is a very good one’. This turned the otherwise cheering crowd to a mute bringing a visible perturbation to the people particularly the front rowers comprising the cabinet members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, which is currently faced with public wrath over the passage of anti-Muslim citizenship laws on domestic front and on international front for human rights abuses in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking about the US anti-terror efforts, Trump said since taking his office, his administration was working in a very positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terrorist organisations and militants.
“Thanks to these efforts, we are beginning to see signs of big progress with Pakistan and we are hopeful of reduced tensions, greater stability and the future of harmony for all of the nations of South Asia," Trump told the gathering.
He announced that theUS would improve defence pacts with India and sign a $3 billion defence deal with India on Tuesday (today). He emphasised that the US would become India's premier defence partner.
The event was the pinnacle of the day’s enviable trio of presidential photo-ops, sandwiched between Trump visits to a former home of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi and a planned tour of the famed Taj Mahal.
"I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow our representatives will sign deals to sell over $3 billion, in the absolute finest state of the art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces," Trump said.
"As we continue to build our defence cooperation, the US looks forward to providing India with some of the best & most feared military equipment on the planet. We make the greatest weapons ever made. We make the best and we are dealing now with India," he added.
“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-defense systems and armed and unarmed aerial vehicles,” Trump said.
Talks of a trade deal with India are in ‘early stages,’ Trump sauid. Officials have been negotiating a modest agreement for months.
Last week, India’s cabinet cleared $2.6 billion purchase from Lockheed Martin Corp. of 24 multirole MH60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to Indian navy.
The State Department has also approved a potential sale to India of $1.8 billion in arms, including air-defense radars and missiles, rifles and other equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced.
Trump also reiterated his pledge that the US would make a significant trade deal with India.
“We are in the early stages of discussion for an incredible trade agreement to reduce barriers of investment between the United States and India,” he said.
“And I am optimistic that, working together, the prime minister and I can reach a fantastic deal that’s good and even great for both of our countries.”
Trump gave no time line for a deal and speaking to reporters later he said he was in “no rush.” Officials have tried to hammer out a modest trade deal opening up India to US agricultural products and medical devices in return for the restoration of preferential export status that Trump stripped from India in 2019.
“There has been comparatively less activity during President Trump’s first term so it’s important for the two sides to get a win in the arms sales arena, particularly since the trade deal that’s been under negotiations for over a year appears to be off the table for now,” Jeff M. Smith, research fellow at the Washington DC-based Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, said.
Key aspect of the defence deal is expected to be the purchase of MH-60 multi-role helicopters for Indian Navy. The acquisition was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security last week.
The government-to-government deal involves acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters from the US-based Lockheed Martin group.
The MH-60Rs will be purchased directly from the US government under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the US Department of Defence (DoD).
The deal, valued at $2.6 billion, was approved in August 2018 by then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The US Department of State gave its approval in April 2019.
The MH-60s, which are currently deployed with the US Navy, are considered to be the most capable naval helicopters available today. They are capable of conducting highly efficient reconnaissance missions and have been designed to hunt down submarines and will add to the strategic depth and combat capability of the Indian Navy. The fleet will boost the Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The MH 60 multi-role Romeo Sikorsky helicopters will replace ageing British-made Sea King helicopters. The first batch of MH-60 Romeo helicopters is scheduled to be delivered by Lockheed Martin within two years.
The multi-role helicopters will be deployed on warships and will be very effective in keeping the submarine threat posed by the extra-regional Navies, including China and Pakistan, in the Indian Ocean Region.
These helicopters will be used in Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface warfare (ASuW), Command and Control, ESM roles besides Search and Rescue (SAR), Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) roles, etc.
Ever since Bill Clinton visited India 20 years ago, India-US relations have warmed politically, economically and strategically. But niggling differences remain, particularly over trade.
Basking in adulation from a massive, colorful crowd, President Trump and Modi lavished each other with praise in a reaffirmation of US-India ties as the subcontinent poured on the pageantry in a joyful welcome for the US president.
Nearly everyone in the newly constructed stadium sported a white cap with the name of the event, “Namaste, Trump” or “Welcome, Trump,” and roared for the introductions of both leaders.
Embarking on a whirlwind 36-hour visit, Trump opened his speech by declaring that he had traveled 8,000 miles to deliver the message that “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people.”
The sunbaked city of Ahmedabad bustled as Trump arrived, its streets teeming with people eager to catch a glimpse of the American president. Newly cleaned roads and planted flowers dotted the roads amid hundreds of billboards featuring the president and first lady Melania Trump. Thousands lined his motorcade route, shy of the up to 10 million that Trump speculated would be on hand.
His first stop was Gandhi’s home, where Trump donned a prayer shawl and removed his shoes to create the incongruous image of a grandiose president quietly walking through the humble ashram.
He inspected the spinning wheel used by the famed pacifist and looked at a statue of monkeys representing Gandhi’s mantra of “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil” before departing for a far more boisterous setting: the mega-rally at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Trump’s motorcade traveled amid cheers from a battery of carefully picked and vetted Modi loyalists and workers from his Bharatiya Janata Party who will stand for hours alongside the neatly manicured 22-kilometer (14-mile) stretch of road to accord the president a grand welcome on his way to the newly constructed stadium.
Tens of thousands of police officers were on hand to keep security tight.
Trump lavished praise on both Modi and the democracy he leads, touting an effort to lift residents out of extreme poverty, saying “India gives hope to all of humanity.”
“The story of the Indian nation is a tale of astounding progress,” Trump said.
“Today I say to every Indian, north and south … take pride in the glories of your past. Unite for an even brighter future and let our two nations always stand together as powerful defenders of peace and liberty.”
Trump’s foreign visits have typically been light on sightseeing, but he and the first lady visited the Taj Mahal, the immense white marble mausoleum built in Agra in the 17th century.
"Namaste," he began to thunderous applause, before going on to refer to several Indian icons, from history to cricket to Bollywood.
"India will always hold a very special place in our hearts," he added.
He also had words of praise for Mr Modi: "Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough. You are not just the pride of Gujarat, you are living proof that with hard work, Indians can accomplish anything they want."
However, he struggled to pronounce several Indian words - from Ahmedabad, the city where he was speaking, to Swami Vivekananda, an Indian philosopher, greatly admired by Mr Modi. He also called the Vedas - ancient Hindu texts - "Vestas".
The president will conclude his whirlwind visit to India on Tuesday (today) with a day in the capital New Delhi, including meetings with Modi over stalled trade talks and a gala dinner.
Trade tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India. India responded with higher penalties on agricultural goods and restrictions on US medical devices. The US retaliated by removing India from a decades-old preferential trade program.
Alluding to tense trade negotiations, Trump voiced optimism that a deal could be reached but also lightheartedly told the rally crowd about Modi: “Everybody loves him, but I will tell you this. He’s very tough.”
Eyes will also be on whether Trump weighs on in the protests enveloping India over its Citizenship Amendment Act. It provides a fast track to naturalization for some migrants who entered the country illegally while fleeing religious persecution, but excludes Muslims, raising fears that the country is moving toward a religious citizenship test. Passage has prompted large-scale protests and a violent crackdown.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump´s first official visit, the main areas of agreement and discord with Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s government are the following.
Booming: India is the world´s fifth largest economy ahead of Britain and France, and will become the planet´s most populous country by 2027, the UN projects.
US-India trade volumes ballooned to more than $140 billion in 2018 from $19 billion in 2000, according to the US government, although volumes exchanged with China are more than five times larger.
The Indian diaspora in the US is estimated at four million and they are major contributors to Silicon Valley in particular. The chief executives of Microsoft and Google were both born in India.
During Trump´s visit, India may agree to the sale of five nuclear reactors, the fruit of a landmark but contentious atomic deal signed under then leaders George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh in the 2000s.
Trade tussle: Even though the US trade deficit with India fell from $30 billion in 2016 to $25 billion in 2018 -- the gap with China is 15 times larger -- it is too big for Trump who has called India the "tariff king".
"They´ve been hitting us very, very hard for many, many years," Trump said before his trip.
Trump in 2018 imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India and elsewhere, and last year suspended India´s duty-free privileges under the decades-old US Generalized System of Preferences programme.
Modi, whose "Make in India" mantra mirrors Trump´s "America First" slogan, responded by hiking import duties on US farm produce such as almonds. In this month´s budget it raised other tariffs.
The tussle means that efforts to reach a comprehensive trade deal are doomed, at least during Trump´s visit, although they may reach a smaller agreement.
Plans to force foreign firms to store Indian consumers´ data locally have also irked US businesses, as have e-commerce regulations hitting firms such as Amazon and Walmart.
Eye on China: The US and India share a mistrust of China. Washington and New Delhi have been worried by China´s growing clout in the Indian Ocean, while China has enraged India with its economic and diplomatic support for Pakistan.
In 2016, the US designated India as a "Major Defense Partner" and last year they signed a deal easing the transfer of advanced weaponry and the sharing of encrypted military communications.
However Russia, New Delhi´s Cold War ally, remains India´s biggest armaments supplier and Modi agreed in 2018 with President Vladimir Putin a $5.4-billion deal to buy Moscow´s S-400 missile defence system.
A US decision on whether to impose sanctions on India as a result is outstanding, something that would dramatically worsen relations between the two countries.
Kashmir: Another irritant for Modi would be if Trump repeats his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over their long-running dispute over Kashmir that a year ago again sent them close to war.
Similarly, Modi will not like hearing any criticism of India´s move in August to revoke the partial autonomy of Indian Kashmir and impose a security and communications lockdown.
Any allusion by Trump to new citizenship legislation criticised as anti-Muslim and which has prompted weeks of protests and unease abroad might also go down badly.
A senior US administration official said Trump would indeed raise concerns about religious freedom, "which is extremely important to this administration".
Meanwhile, former chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka and Congress leader Sidddaramiah asked the ruling BJP to host an event for US President Donald Trump in Kashmir if it has returned to "normalcy" as claimed by the Narendra Modi-led government.
“If BJP feels Kashmir has returned to Normalcy, and if BJP feels that there is no government orchestrated violence ... Now is the time to prove the same by hosting Donald Trump’s event in Kashmir,” tweeted the Congress leader.
In a special report, The New York Times says while much is being made of the relationship between the oldest and the largest democracies, skeptics say both Trump and Modi “have each undermined democratic tradition by demonizing immigrants, promoting nationalism and seeking to suppress media freedom”.Trump tells India ties with Pakistan are very good
Trump About Pakistan
AHMEDABAD: US President Donald Trump on Monday announced to the shock of over 100,000 people packed into the
world’s largest Motera Cricket Stadium in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state that his administration had very good ties with Pakistan.
There was a huge applause going on as Trump spoke of the US anti-terror efforts and the US-India ties with Modi also seen joining the crowd for ovation.
The roars of appreciations turned into a pin-drop silence when Trump said ‘the Pakistan-US relationship is a very good one’. This turned the otherwise cheering crowd to a mute bringing a visible perturbation to the people particularly the front rowers comprising the cabinet members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, which is currently faced with public wrath over the passage of anti-Muslim citizenship laws on domestic front and on international front for human rights abuses in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking about the US anti-terror efforts, Trump said since taking his office, his administration was working in a very positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terrorist organisations and militants.
“Thanks to these efforts, we are beginning to see signs of big progress with Pakistan and we are hopeful of reduced tensions, greater stability and the future of harmony for all of the nations of South Asia," Trump told the gathering.
He announced that theUS would improve defence pacts with India and sign a $3 billion defence deal with India on Tuesday (today). He emphasised that the US would become India's premier defence partner.
The event was the pinnacle of the day’s enviable trio of presidential photo-ops, sandwiched between Trump visits to a former home of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi and a planned tour of the famed Taj Mahal.
"I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow our representatives will sign deals to sell over $3 billion, in the absolute finest state of the art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces," Trump said.
"As we continue to build our defence cooperation, the US looks forward to providing India with some of the best & most feared military equipment on the planet. We make the greatest weapons ever made. We make the best and we are dealing now with India," he added.
“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-defense systems and armed and unarmed aerial vehicles,” Trump said.
Talks of a trade deal with India are in ‘early stages,’ Trump sauid. Officials have been negotiating a modest agreement for months.
Last week, India’s cabinet cleared $2.6 billion purchase from Lockheed Martin Corp. of 24 multirole MH60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to Indian navy.
The State Department has also approved a potential sale to India of $1.8 billion in arms, including air-defense radars and missiles, rifles and other equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced.
Trump also reiterated his pledge that the US would make a significant trade deal with India.
“We are in the early stages of discussion for an incredible trade agreement to reduce barriers of investment between the United States and India,” he said.
“And I am optimistic that, working together, the prime minister and I can reach a fantastic deal that’s good and even great for both of our countries.”
Trump gave no time line for a deal and speaking to reporters later he said he was in “no rush.” Officials have tried to hammer out a modest trade deal opening up India to US agricultural products and medical devices in return for the restoration of preferential export status that Trump stripped from India in 2019.
“There has been comparatively less activity during President Trump’s first term so it’s important for the two sides to get a win in the arms sales arena, particularly since the trade deal that’s been under negotiations for over a year appears to be off the table for now,” Jeff M. Smith, research fellow at the Washington DC-based Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, said.
Key aspect of the defence deal is expected to be the purchase of MH-60 multi-role helicopters for Indian Navy. The acquisition was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security last week.
The government-to-government deal involves acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters from the US-based Lockheed Martin group.
The MH-60Rs will be purchased directly from the US government under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the US Department of Defence (DoD).
The deal, valued at $2.6 billion, was approved in August 2018 by then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The US Department of State gave its approval in April 2019.
The MH-60s, which are currently deployed with the US Navy, are considered to be the most capable naval helicopters available today. They are capable of conducting highly efficient reconnaissance missions and have been designed to hunt down submarines and will add to the strategic depth and combat capability of the Indian Navy. The fleet will boost the Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The MH 60 multi-role Romeo Sikorsky helicopters will replace ageing British-made Sea King helicopters. The first batch of MH-60 Romeo helicopters is scheduled to be delivered by Lockheed Martin within two years.
The multi-role helicopters will be deployed on warships and will be very effective in keeping the submarine threat posed by the extra-regional Navies, including China and Pakistan, in the Indian Ocean Region.
These helicopters will be used in Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface warfare (ASuW), Command and Control, ESM roles besides Search and Rescue (SAR), Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) roles, etc.
Ever since Bill Clinton visited India 20 years ago, India-US relations have warmed politically, economically and strategically. But niggling differences remain, particularly over trade.
Basking in adulation from a massive, colorful crowd, President Trump and Modi lavished each other with praise in a reaffirmation of US-India ties as the subcontinent poured on the pageantry in a joyful welcome for the US president.
Nearly everyone in the newly constructed stadium sported a white cap with the name of the event, “Namaste, Trump” or “Welcome, Trump,” and roared for the introductions of both leaders.
Embarking on a whirlwind 36-hour visit, Trump opened his speech by declaring that he had traveled 8,000 miles to deliver the message that “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people.”
The sunbaked city of Ahmedabad bustled as Trump arrived, its streets teeming with people eager to catch a glimpse of the American president. Newly cleaned roads and planted flowers dotted the roads amid hundreds of billboards featuring the president and first lady Melania Trump. Thousands lined his motorcade route, shy of the up to 10 million that Trump speculated would be on hand.
His first stop was Gandhi’s home, where Trump donned a prayer shawl and removed his shoes to create the incongruous image of a grandiose president quietly walking through the humble ashram.
He inspected the spinning wheel used by the famed pacifist and looked at a statue of monkeys representing Gandhi’s mantra of “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil” before departing for a far more boisterous setting: the mega-rally at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Trump’s motorcade traveled amid cheers from a battery of carefully picked and vetted Modi loyalists and workers from his Bharatiya Janata Party who will stand for hours alongside the neatly manicured 22-kilometer (14-mile) stretch of road to accord the president a grand welcome on his way to the newly constructed stadium.
Tens of thousands of police officers were on hand to keep security tight.
Trump lavished praise on both Modi and the democracy he leads, touting an effort to lift residents out of extreme poverty, saying “India gives hope to all of humanity.”
“The story of the Indian nation is a tale of astounding progress,” Trump said.
“Today I say to every Indian, north and south … take pride in the glories of your past. Unite for an even brighter future and let our two nations always stand together as powerful defenders of peace and liberty.”
Trump’s foreign visits have typically been light on sightseeing, but he and the first lady visited the Taj Mahal, the immense white marble mausoleum built in Agra in the 17th century.
"Namaste," he began to thunderous applause, before going on to refer to several Indian icons, from history to cricket to Bollywood.
"India will always hold a very special place in our hearts," he added.
He also had words of praise for Mr Modi: "Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough. You are not just the pride of Gujarat, you are living proof that with hard work, Indians can accomplish anything they want."
However, he struggled to pronounce several Indian words - from Ahmedabad, the city where he was speaking, to Swami Vivekananda, an Indian philosopher, greatly admired by Mr Modi. He also called the Vedas - ancient Hindu texts - "Vestas".
The president will conclude his whirlwind visit to India on Tuesday (today) with a day in the capital New Delhi, including meetings with Modi over stalled trade talks and a gala dinner.
Trade tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India. India responded with higher penalties on agricultural goods and restrictions on US medical devices. The US retaliated by removing India from a decades-old preferential trade program.
Alluding to tense trade negotiations, Trump voiced optimism that a deal could be reached but also lightheartedly told the rally crowd about Modi: “Everybody loves him, but I will tell you this. He’s very tough.”
Eyes will also be on whether Trump weighs on in the protests enveloping India over its Citizenship Amendment Act. It provides a fast track to naturalization for some migrants who entered the country illegally while fleeing religious persecution, but excludes Muslims, raising fears that the country is moving toward a religious citizenship test. Passage has prompted large-scale protests and a violent crackdown.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump´s first official visit, the main areas of agreement and discord with Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s government are the following.
Booming: India is the world´s fifth largest economy ahead of Britain and France, and will become the planet´s most populous country by 2027, the UN projects.
US-India trade volumes ballooned to more than $140 billion in 2018 from $19 billion in 2000, according to the US government, although volumes exchanged with China are more than five times larger.
The Indian diaspora in the US is estimated at four million and they are major contributors to Silicon Valley in particular. The chief executives of Microsoft and Google were both born in India.
During Trump´s visit, India may agree to the sale of five nuclear reactors, the fruit of a landmark but contentious atomic deal signed under then leaders George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh in the 2000s.
Trade tussle: Even though the US trade deficit with India fell from $30 billion in 2016 to $25 billion in 2018 -- the gap with China is 15 times larger -- it is too big for Trump who has called India the "tariff king".
"They´ve been hitting us very, very hard for many, many years," Trump said before his trip.
Trump in 2018 imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India and elsewhere, and last year suspended India´s duty-free privileges under the decades-old US Generalized System of Preferences programme.
Modi, whose "Make in India" mantra mirrors Trump´s "America First" slogan, responded by hiking import duties on US farm produce such as almonds. In this month´s budget it raised other tariffs.
The tussle means that efforts to reach a comprehensive trade deal are doomed, at least during Trump´s visit, although they may reach a smaller agreement.
Plans to force foreign firms to store Indian consumers´ data locally have also irked US businesses, as have e-commerce regulations hitting firms such as Amazon and Walmart.
Eye on China: The US and India share a mistrust of China. Washington and New Delhi have been worried by China´s growing clout in the Indian Ocean, while China has enraged India with its economic and diplomatic support for Pakistan.
In 2016, the US designated India as a "Major Defense Partner" and last year they signed a deal easing the transfer of advanced weaponry and the sharing of encrypted military communications.
However Russia, New Delhi´s Cold War ally, remains India´s biggest armaments supplier and Modi agreed in 2018 with President Vladimir Putin a $5.4-billion deal to buy Moscow´s S-400 missile defence system.
A US decision on whether to impose sanctions on India as a result is outstanding, something that would dramatically worsen relations between the two countries.
Kashmir: Another irritant for Modi would be if Trump repeats his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over their long-running dispute over Kashmir that a year ago again sent them close to war.
Similarly, Modi will not like hearing any criticism of India´s move in August to revoke the partial autonomy of Indian Kashmir and impose a security and communications lockdown.
Any allusion by Trump to new citizenship legislation criticised as anti-Muslim and which has prompted weeks of protests and unease abroad might also go down badly.
A senior US administration official said Trump would indeed raise concerns about religious freedom, "which is extremely important to this administration".
Meanwhile, former chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka and Congress leader Sidddaramiah asked the ruling BJP to host an event for US President Donald Trump in Kashmir if it has returned to "normalcy" as claimed by the Narendra Modi-led government.
“If BJP feels Kashmir has returned to Normalcy, and if BJP feels that there is no government orchestrated violence ... Now is the time to prove the same by hosting Donald Trump’s event in Kashmir,” tweeted the Congress leader.
In a special report, The New York Times says while much is being made of the relationship between the oldest and the largest democracies, skeptics say both Trump and Modi “have each undermined democratic tradition by demonizing immigrants, promoting nationalism and seeking to suppress media freedom”.
world’s largest Motera Cricket Stadium in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state that his administration had very good ties with Pakistan.
There was a huge applause going on as Trump spoke of the US anti-terror efforts and the US-India ties with Modi also seen joining the crowd for ovation.
The roars of appreciations turned into a pin-drop silence when Trump said ‘the Pakistan-US relationship is a very good one’. This turned the otherwise cheering crowd to a mute bringing a visible perturbation to the people particularly the front rowers comprising the cabinet members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, which is currently faced with public wrath over the passage of anti-Muslim citizenship laws on domestic front and on international front for human rights abuses in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking about the US anti-terror efforts, Trump said since taking his office, his administration was working in a very positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terrorist organisations and militants.
“Thanks to these efforts, we are beginning to see signs of big progress with Pakistan and we are hopeful of reduced tensions, greater stability and the future of harmony for all of the nations of South Asia," Trump told the gathering.
He announced that theUS would improve defence pacts with India and sign a $3 billion defence deal with India on Tuesday (today). He emphasised that the US would become India's premier defence partner.
The event was the pinnacle of the day’s enviable trio of presidential photo-ops, sandwiched between Trump visits to a former home of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi and a planned tour of the famed Taj Mahal.
"I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow our representatives will sign deals to sell over $3 billion, in the absolute finest state of the art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces," Trump said.
"As we continue to build our defence cooperation, the US looks forward to providing India with some of the best & most feared military equipment on the planet. We make the greatest weapons ever made. We make the best and we are dealing now with India," he added.
“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-defense systems and armed and unarmed aerial vehicles,” Trump said.
Talks of a trade deal with India are in ‘early stages,’ Trump sauid. Officials have been negotiating a modest agreement for months.
Last week, India’s cabinet cleared $2.6 billion purchase from Lockheed Martin Corp. of 24 multirole MH60R Seahawk maritime helicopters to Indian navy.
The State Department has also approved a potential sale to India of $1.8 billion in arms, including air-defense radars and missiles, rifles and other equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced.
Trump also reiterated his pledge that the US would make a significant trade deal with India.
“We are in the early stages of discussion for an incredible trade agreement to reduce barriers of investment between the United States and India,” he said.
“And I am optimistic that, working together, the prime minister and I can reach a fantastic deal that’s good and even great for both of our countries.”
Trump gave no time line for a deal and speaking to reporters later he said he was in “no rush.” Officials have tried to hammer out a modest trade deal opening up India to US agricultural products and medical devices in return for the restoration of preferential export status that Trump stripped from India in 2019.
“There has been comparatively less activity during President Trump’s first term so it’s important for the two sides to get a win in the arms sales arena, particularly since the trade deal that’s been under negotiations for over a year appears to be off the table for now,” Jeff M. Smith, research fellow at the Washington DC-based Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, said.
Key aspect of the defence deal is expected to be the purchase of MH-60 multi-role helicopters for Indian Navy. The acquisition was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security last week.
The government-to-government deal involves acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters from the US-based Lockheed Martin group.
The MH-60Rs will be purchased directly from the US government under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement with the US Department of Defence (DoD).
The deal, valued at $2.6 billion, was approved in August 2018 by then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The US Department of State gave its approval in April 2019.
The MH-60s, which are currently deployed with the US Navy, are considered to be the most capable naval helicopters available today. They are capable of conducting highly efficient reconnaissance missions and have been designed to hunt down submarines and will add to the strategic depth and combat capability of the Indian Navy. The fleet will boost the Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations.
The MH 60 multi-role Romeo Sikorsky helicopters will replace ageing British-made Sea King helicopters. The first batch of MH-60 Romeo helicopters is scheduled to be delivered by Lockheed Martin within two years.
The multi-role helicopters will be deployed on warships and will be very effective in keeping the submarine threat posed by the extra-regional Navies, including China and Pakistan, in the Indian Ocean Region.
These helicopters will be used in Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface warfare (ASuW), Command and Control, ESM roles besides Search and Rescue (SAR), Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) roles, etc.
Ever since Bill Clinton visited India 20 years ago, India-US relations have warmed politically, economically and strategically. But niggling differences remain, particularly over trade.
Basking in adulation from a massive, colorful crowd, President Trump and Modi lavished each other with praise in a reaffirmation of US-India ties as the subcontinent poured on the pageantry in a joyful welcome for the US president.
Nearly everyone in the newly constructed stadium sported a white cap with the name of the event, “Namaste, Trump” or “Welcome, Trump,” and roared for the introductions of both leaders.
Embarking on a whirlwind 36-hour visit, Trump opened his speech by declaring that he had traveled 8,000 miles to deliver the message that “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people.”
The sunbaked city of Ahmedabad bustled as Trump arrived, its streets teeming with people eager to catch a glimpse of the American president. Newly cleaned roads and planted flowers dotted the roads amid hundreds of billboards featuring the president and first lady Melania Trump. Thousands lined his motorcade route, shy of the up to 10 million that Trump speculated would be on hand.
His first stop was Gandhi’s home, where Trump donned a prayer shawl and removed his shoes to create the incongruous image of a grandiose president quietly walking through the humble ashram.
He inspected the spinning wheel used by the famed pacifist and looked at a statue of monkeys representing Gandhi’s mantra of “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil” before departing for a far more boisterous setting: the mega-rally at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Trump’s motorcade traveled amid cheers from a battery of carefully picked and vetted Modi loyalists and workers from his Bharatiya Janata Party who will stand for hours alongside the neatly manicured 22-kilometer (14-mile) stretch of road to accord the president a grand welcome on his way to the newly constructed stadium.
Tens of thousands of police officers were on hand to keep security tight.
Trump lavished praise on both Modi and the democracy he leads, touting an effort to lift residents out of extreme poverty, saying “India gives hope to all of humanity.”
“The story of the Indian nation is a tale of astounding progress,” Trump said.
“Today I say to every Indian, north and south … take pride in the glories of your past. Unite for an even brighter future and let our two nations always stand together as powerful defenders of peace and liberty.”
Trump’s foreign visits have typically been light on sightseeing, but he and the first lady visited the Taj Mahal, the immense white marble mausoleum built in Agra in the 17th century.
"Namaste," he began to thunderous applause, before going on to refer to several Indian icons, from history to cricket to Bollywood.
"India will always hold a very special place in our hearts," he added.
He also had words of praise for Mr Modi: "Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough. You are not just the pride of Gujarat, you are living proof that with hard work, Indians can accomplish anything they want."
However, he struggled to pronounce several Indian words - from Ahmedabad, the city where he was speaking, to Swami Vivekananda, an Indian philosopher, greatly admired by Mr Modi. He also called the Vedas - ancient Hindu texts - "Vestas".
The president will conclude his whirlwind visit to India on Tuesday (today) with a day in the capital New Delhi, including meetings with Modi over stalled trade talks and a gala dinner.
Trade tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India. India responded with higher penalties on agricultural goods and restrictions on US medical devices. The US retaliated by removing India from a decades-old preferential trade program.
Alluding to tense trade negotiations, Trump voiced optimism that a deal could be reached but also lightheartedly told the rally crowd about Modi: “Everybody loves him, but I will tell you this. He’s very tough.”
Eyes will also be on whether Trump weighs on in the protests enveloping India over its Citizenship Amendment Act. It provides a fast track to naturalization for some migrants who entered the country illegally while fleeing religious persecution, but excludes Muslims, raising fears that the country is moving toward a religious citizenship test. Passage has prompted large-scale protests and a violent crackdown.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump´s first official visit, the main areas of agreement and discord with Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s government are the following.
Booming: India is the world´s fifth largest economy ahead of Britain and France, and will become the planet´s most populous country by 2027, the UN projects.
US-India trade volumes ballooned to more than $140 billion in 2018 from $19 billion in 2000, according to the US government, although volumes exchanged with China are more than five times larger.
The Indian diaspora in the US is estimated at four million and they are major contributors to Silicon Valley in particular. The chief executives of Microsoft and Google were both born in India.
During Trump´s visit, India may agree to the sale of five nuclear reactors, the fruit of a landmark but contentious atomic deal signed under then leaders George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh in the 2000s.
Trade tussle: Even though the US trade deficit with India fell from $30 billion in 2016 to $25 billion in 2018 -- the gap with China is 15 times larger -- it is too big for Trump who has called India the "tariff king".
"They´ve been hitting us very, very hard for many, many years," Trump said before his trip.
Trump in 2018 imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from India and elsewhere, and last year suspended India´s duty-free privileges under the decades-old US Generalized System of Preferences programme.
Modi, whose "Make in India" mantra mirrors Trump´s "America First" slogan, responded by hiking import duties on US farm produce such as almonds. In this month´s budget it raised other tariffs.
The tussle means that efforts to reach a comprehensive trade deal are doomed, at least during Trump´s visit, although they may reach a smaller agreement.
Plans to force foreign firms to store Indian consumers´ data locally have also irked US businesses, as have e-commerce regulations hitting firms such as Amazon and Walmart.
Eye on China: The US and India share a mistrust of China. Washington and New Delhi have been worried by China´s growing clout in the Indian Ocean, while China has enraged India with its economic and diplomatic support for Pakistan.
In 2016, the US designated India as a "Major Defense Partner" and last year they signed a deal easing the transfer of advanced weaponry and the sharing of encrypted military communications.
However Russia, New Delhi´s Cold War ally, remains India´s biggest armaments supplier and Modi agreed in 2018 with President Vladimir Putin a $5.4-billion deal to buy Moscow´s S-400 missile defence system.
A US decision on whether to impose sanctions on India as a result is outstanding, something that would dramatically worsen relations between the two countries.
Kashmir: Another irritant for Modi would be if Trump repeats his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over their long-running dispute over Kashmir that a year ago again sent them close to war.
Similarly, Modi will not like hearing any criticism of India´s move in August to revoke the partial autonomy of Indian Kashmir and impose a security and communications lockdown.
Any allusion by Trump to new citizenship legislation criticised as anti-Muslim and which has prompted weeks of protests and unease abroad might also go down badly.
A senior US administration official said Trump would indeed raise concerns about religious freedom, "which is extremely important to this administration".
Meanwhile, former chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka and Congress leader Sidddaramiah asked the ruling BJP to host an event for US President Donald Trump in Kashmir if it has returned to "normalcy" as claimed by the Narendra Modi-led government.
“If BJP feels Kashmir has returned to Normalcy, and if BJP feels that there is no government orchestrated violence ... Now is the time to prove the same by hosting Donald Trump’s event in Kashmir,” tweeted the Congress leader.
In a special report, The New York Times says while much is being made of the relationship between the oldest and the largest democracies, skeptics say both Trump and Modi “have each undermined democratic tradition by demonizing immigrants, promoting nationalism and seeking to suppress media freedom”.
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