US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration's punitive approach to much of the world.
Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump's return, described the fellow nationalist as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Trump said that he found a "special bond" with Modi and India and, in an uncharacteristic if ironic show of humility, complimented Modi as being a "much tougher negotiator" than he is.
Successive US administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top US military prizes -- F-35s.
"Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars," Trump told a joint news conference with Modi.
"We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump said.
India would join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35, which can operate without detection at supersonic speeds.
India currently relies on an ageing fleet of Russian fighter jets as well as a small number of French-made Rafale aircraft.
India's arch rival and neighbor, Pakistan, however said it was "deeply concerned" about the sales.
"Such steps accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability. They remain unhelpful in achieving the objectives of durable peace in the region," said Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Dangling tariffs -
Continuing a push from his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said that the two countries also planned investment in ports, railways and underseas cable to "build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history," running from India to Israel to Europe and beyond.
Trump has dueled with both friends and foes on economic issues. Hours before meeting, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India.
Speaking next to Modi, Trump called India's "unfair, very strong tariffs" a "big problem" but said that the two countries would hold negotiations to close a trade deficit in India's favor.
Modi said that the world's largest and fifth-largest economies would work on a "mutually beneficial trade agreement" to be sealed "very soon," with a focus on oil and gas.
Joining Trump's meeting with Modi was SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump's right-hand man to overhaul the US bureaucracy.
Modi also met one-on-one with Musk, raising questions over whether the world's richest man was meeting the Indian leader in an official or business capacity.
The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming Musk, with several children on Musk's side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.
- Courting Trump -
Modi offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles -- a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.
India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump's immigration crackdown. The treatment drew protests from India's opposition which accused Modi of sacrificing the dignity of citizens to please Trump.
Trump in turn announced the United States would extradite to India a suspect in the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai, whom he called "one of the very evil people in the world."
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin who was based in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Modi and Trump share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.
In 2020, Modi delighted Trump by inviting him before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.
Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad -- a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
