Joint Press
Remarks with Republic of India PM Narendra Modi
delivered 13
February 2025, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
PRESIDENT TRUMP:
Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Please. Great honor.
I’m thrilled to welcome the Prime Minister of India, my friend, Narendra Modi
back to the White House. We spent a lot of time here and a lot of time in India,
and he’s a very special man.
Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to extend to you the same hospitality that you
showed Melania and myself when we traveled to your beautiful country five years
ago. It’s hard to believe so long ago, and it seemed like yesterday. It was
beautiful. We opened the cricket stadium -- 129,000 seats, I think the largest
stadium in the world, and it was an incredible period of time.
There is truly a special bond between the United States and India and the
world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy and, I believe, the
world’s largest country, in terms of the numbers of people. And today, the prime
minister and I are announcing a framework to strengthen those ties even further
economically, and the U.S.-India compact for the 21st century is a historic
initiative that will deepen every aspect of our partnership and our friendship.
Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions
of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35
stealth fighters.
In 2017, my Administration revived and reinvigorated the Quad security
partnership. In our meeting today, the prime minister and I reaffirmed that
strong cooperation among the United States, India, Australia, and Japan, and
it’s crucial really to maintaining peace and prosperity, tranquility even, in
the Indo-Pacific.
In addition, the United States and India will be working together like never
before to confront the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, a threat all over
the world actually.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that my Administration has approved the
extradition of one of the plotters and one of the very evil people of the world
and having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice
in India. So, he’s going to be going back to India to face justice.
As we deepen our defense partnership, we’ll also strengthen our economic ties
and bring greater fairness and reciprocity to our trading relationship.
As a signal of good faith, Prime Minister Modi recently announced the reductions
to India’s unfair, very strong tariffs that limit U.S. access into the Indian
market very strongly. And really, it’s big problem, I must say. India imposes a
30 to 40 to 60 and even 70 percent tariff on so many of the goods and, in some
cases, far more than that.
As an example, a 70 percent tariff on U.S. cars going into India, which makes it
pretty much impossible to sell those cars.
Today, the U.S. trade deficit with India is almost $100 billion, and Prime
Minister Modi and I have agreed that we’ll begin negotiations to address the
long-running disparities that should have been taken care of over the last four
years -- but they didn’t do that -- in the U.S.-India trading relationship, with
the goal of signing an agreement. And we want -- really, we want a certain level
playing field, which we really think we’re entitled to, and he does also, in
fairness, so we’re going to work on that very hard. And we can make up the
difference very easily with the deficit with the sale of oil and gas and LNG, of
which we have more than anybody in the world.
The prime minister and I also reached an important agreement on energy that will
restore the United States as a leading supplier of oil and gas to India. It will
be, hopefully, their number-one supplier in the groundbreaking development for
U.S. nuclear industry. India is also reforming its laws to welcome U.S. nuclear
technology, which is at the highest level, into the Indian market. This will
bring safe, clean, and affordable electricity to millions of Indians and tens of
billions of dollars to the U.S.-civilian nuclear industry in India.
And under the framework we are announcing today, the United States and India are
also joining forces to ensure that artificial intelligence and other advanced
technologies are developed by the two of the most -- really, two of the most
advanced nations, intellectually and otherwise technologically, anywhere in the
world. There’s nobody very much closer. We have an incredible relationship
there. And this is where it seems to be heading.
And artificial intelligence -- complex -- a very complex subject, but it seems to
be where people want to be and they want to go, and we’re leading right now by a
lot, but other people will try to catch us. I don’t know if they’re going to be
able to. We’re going to make it available. We’re going to make tremendous
amounts of electricity available, and we’re going to let the people that are
buying the electricity make their own electric plants -- electric generation
plants, and we’ve never done this in our country, but we’re going to get it done
very quickly.
Lee Zeldin and his group are going to get the approvals in very rapid form. And
we’re calling it a “national emergency,” and that’s exactly what it is. So,
we’re going to be -- we’re going to remain at the top of the AI or artificial
intelligence, I think, for a long time to come, and we’re going to be working
very closely with India and other countries on that. But right now, we’re the
leader by quite a bit.
Finally, we agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade
routes in all of history. It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward
to the United States, connecting our partners by ports, railways, and undersea
cables -- many, many undersea cables. It’s a big development. It’s a lot of money
going to be spent, and we’ve already spent some, but we’re going to be spending
a lot more in order to stay advanced and stay the leader.
I’m pleased to report that with today’s announcements, the friendship between
the United States and India is the strongest I believe it’s ever been. I think
our relationship is the best it’s ever been between two leaders of the two
countries, and it’s an honor to say that.
I’d like to now invite the prime minister to say a few words, and then we’ll
take some questions. And we appreciate you all being here. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: [As interpreted.] Your Excellency President Trump,
delegates of both countries, friends from the media: Namashkar.
I would like to first of all express my heartfelt gratitude to my dear friend
President Trump for the grand welcome and hospitality accorded to me. President
Trump’s leadership has been instrumental in nurturing India-U.S. ties and making
them vibrant.
I could feel today the same enthusiasm, the same -- the same enthusiasm, the same
energy, the same commitment that we had worked with during our first term.
Our discussions today highlighted our pride in our accomplishments during his
first term, the deep mutual trust that we share, and also the resolve to attain
new goals. We also agreed that the partnership and cooperation between India and
the U.S. can shape a better world.
Friends, the people of America are aware of President Trump’s motto, “Make
America Great Again,” or “MAGA.” The people are well aware of it. The people of
India too are focusing on both heritage and development as they move forward at
a fast pace and with a firm resolve to ensure a developed India by 2047. If I
were to say this, borrowing an expression from America, our vision for a
developed India is to “Make India Great Again,” or “MIGA.”
When America and India work together, that is when MAGA -- when it’s MAGA plus
MIGA, it becomes mega -- a mega partnership for prosperity. And it is
this mega spirit that gives new scale and scope to our objectives.
Friends, today, we have also set ourselves the target of more than doubling our
bilateral trade to attain $500 billion by 2030. Our teams will work on
concluding very soon a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
In order to ensure India’s energy security, we will focus on trade in oil and
gas. Investment in energy infrastructure will also increase. In the area of
nuclear energy, we also discussed increasing cooperation on small modular
reactors.
Friends, America plays an important role in India’s defense preparedness. As
strategic and trusted partners, we are moving forward actively towards joint
development, joint production, and transfer of technology.
In the times to come as well, new technologies and equipment will enhance our
capacities.
We have decided to launch the autonomous systems industry alliance and a defense
cooperation framework for the next decade will be prepared. Defense
interoperability, logistics, repair, and maintenance will also be its key
components.
Friends, the 21st century is a technology-driven century. Close cooperation in
the area of technology between countries that believe in democratic values can
give new direction, strength, and opportunities to the entire humanity. India
and the U.S. will jointly work in areas of artificial intelligence,
semiconductors, quantum, biotechnology, and several other technologies.
Today, we also agreed on TRUST, which stands for Transforming Relationships
Utilizing Strategic Technology. Under this, our focus will be on establishing
strong supply chains for critical minerals, advanced materials, and
pharmaceuticals.
We have also decided to launch a recovery and processing initiative for
strategic minerals like lithium and rare earths.
We have had close cooperation with the U.S. in the area of space. The NISAR
satellite developed with mutual cooperation between Israel and NASA will soon be
flying into space on an Indian launch vehicle.
Friends, partnership between India and the U.S. strengthens democracy and
strengthens democratic values and systems. We will work together to enhance
peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad will play a
special role in this. During the Quad summit scheduled to be held in India this
year, we will expand cooperation in new areas with our partner countries. Under
the IMEEC and I2U2, we will work together for the development of economic
corridors.
And in the area of connectivity, India and U.S. will stand strongly together in
the fight against terrorism. We agree that in order to eliminate cross-border
terrorism, we need concrete actions, and I’m very grateful to President Trump
that he -- in 2008, somebody who carried out genocide in India, that criminal is
now going to be handed over to India, and I’m grateful to President Trump for
this, and appropriate action will be taken in the courts in India.
Friends, the Indian community living in the U.S. is an important link in our
relations. In order to further deepen our people-to-people ties, India will soon
open new consulates in Los Angeles and Boston. These will be new consulates.
We have invited American universities and educational institutes to open their
offshore campuses in India.
President Trump, I am grateful to you for your friendship and strong commitment
towards India. The people of India still fondly remember your visit in 2020 and
hope that President Trump will come and visit them again. On behalf of 1.4
billion Indians, I invite you to visit India.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you very
much. Great job.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: Thank you. Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Beautiful.
Okay, thank you very much. That was excellent.
We’ll do a few questions, please.
QUESTION: Mr. President --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Please, go ahead. Please,
go ahead. Yeah. Yeah, blue shirt.
QUESTION: Me?
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. People in India will naturally welcome your decision
to extradite Tahawwur Rana to India back home. In that context, I would like to
ask you a question about -- in last few years, we have seen several groups in the
U.S. been raising anti-India voice, calling about separation -- terrorism
activities in India. Do you think that should continue here in the U.S. as well?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: You’re going to have to go
louder.
QUESTION: Mr. President, people in India would be welcoming your decision to extradite Tahawwur Rana to India --
PRESIDENT TRUMP:
Yeah, I can’t understand --
QUESTION: Okay.
PRESIDENT TRUMP:
-- a word he’s saying. It’s
not the -- it’s the accent. It’s a little bit tough for me.
QUESTION: But can I try again?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: How about -- how about you. Please. Go ahead, back there.
QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you. First, I want to ask the prime minister a question.
You and the President -- you both spoke about combating ISIS. You -- you both
sounded very exciting about this -- excited about this partnership upcoming, and
I -- I was curious, how much more confident are you with President Trump leading
this country that there will be peace through strength and you will have a suc-
-- successful partnership with the United States, versus with Biden’s
incompetence and weakness over the last four years?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s your question, but I’ll answer it.
I agree with you. Yeah, gross incompetence.
We’re going to have a fantastic relationship. And it has been like the whole
world has been set back over the last four years by the weakness of the United
States, the weak leadership of the United States, but I think we’ve taken care
of it in just three weeks. It seems to me that even some of the media that we
wouldn’t prefer has been writing that this is a much different country right
now, that the world has a light over it -- not only our country, but the whole
world.
The prime minister told me that before too. Even over India, the world has a
light. They need the United States to be strong and powerful but good, and I
think that’s happened. And I think it’s happened in a very short period of time.
But I will tell you, we’re going to have a fantastic relationship, and it will
make both countries much stronger.
[Cross talk.]
All right?
Yes, go ahead, please.
QUESTION: Geeta Mohan from India today, sir. I’ll just take my colleague Lalit Jha’s
question forward, because you couldn’t underst- --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay. Fine.
QUESTION: The question is about the fact that you’ve decided to extradite Tahawwur Rana.
Thank you so much. India has been waiting to -- to have him back in India to
bring him to justice.
But there are many other elements in the United States of America, particularly
Khalistani separates who’ve been working against Indian interests. How is the
United States of America going to cooperate on that front with India? There are
-- there have been allegations that have been leveled against Indian agencies by
the Biden Administration. Are you going to relook that with Tulsi Gabbard as DNI
now?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I don’t think India had a very good relationship with the
Biden Administration. Biden -- they wouldn’t sell them oil and gas, which is
rather hard to believe, because, you know, it’s a good thing to do. And a lot of
things happened that weren’t very appropriate, I thought, between India and the
Administration -- the Biden Administration.
But as you said, we’re giving a very violent man -- it seems to me -- I mean, I
don’t know that he’s been convicted yet or will be, but let’s assume he’s a
pretty violent person -- we’re giving him back to India immediately. And there
are more to follow, because we have quite a few requests.
So, we work with India on crime, and we want to make it good for India, and it’s
very important. So, that kind of a relationship is very important to us.
Okay?
[Cross talk.]
Go ahead, please.
QUESTION: Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Go ahead.
QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. President, you’ve repeatedly called India a big abuser of trade
and said it is really difficult to do business in India because of tariffs. You
announced reciprocal tariffs today. I am hoping you can speak about what kind of
reciprocal tariffs India can expect. Are you willing to make any concessions,
and how can India head off these tariffs?
I also have one for the prime minister.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Sure.
Well, India has been, to us, just about the highest tariffed nation anywhere in
the world. They’ve been very strong on tariffs, and I don’t blame them,
necessarily, but it’s a different way of doing business. It’s very hard to sell
into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs.
We are right now a reciprocal nation. We are going to -- if it’s India or if it’s
somebody else with low tariffs, we’re going to have the same. We’re going to
have whatever India charges, we’re charging them. Whatever another country
charges, we’re charging them. So, it’s called reciprocal, which I think is a
very fair way. We didn’t have that.
I was going to do that in my other term, and we had the greatest economy ever in
the world. There’s never been an economy like we had, and then we got hit with
COVID. We had a focus on that, and I wasn’t really in the mood to be putting it
on Italy and Spain and France and India, frankly, and a lot of other countries,
because the world was very troubled until we got rid of that nightmare.
But we had the strongest economy anywhere in the world during that fairly long
period of time during my first term, as you know, and we didn’t do the tariffs.
We would have done the reciprocal tariffs, but we decided -- and I decided, I
think, on a human basis -- on a humane basis not to do them because of the fact
that there was such suffering all over the world. The last thing we needed to
talk about is trade problems.
But now we’re doing -- we see a tremendous future for our country. But we felt
that now it’s finally time, after 45 or 50 years of abuse, that we will do -- and
this isn’t India, this is among a lot of nations.
The European Union is very difficult for us -- very, very difficult. They tax our
companies at levels that nobody’s ever seen before. They take advantage of a lot
of things. So, we’re not happy about that.
China, of course, is terrible, and we’ve never taken in 10 cents until I was
President. We’ve taken in hundreds of billions of dollars from China since I’ve
been President -- in first term and now -- and we have to do that just as a
mechanism of fairness, and that’s what I’ve done.
And so, we are being reciprocal with India. Whatever India charges, we charge
them. So, frankly, it no longer matters to us that much what they charge,
because whatever they charge -- I had discussions with India in the first term
about the fact that their tariffs were very high, and I was unable to get a
concession. So, we’re just going to do it the easy way, and we’re just going to
say, “Whatever you charge, we charge.” And I think that’s fair for the people of
the United States, and I think it’s actually fair for India.
Okay?
QUESTION: Are you willing to make any concessions, sir? Are you willing to make any
concessions, sir? Any concessions?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Go ahead, please. Ask to the prime minister, please.
QUESTION: A question for the prime minister, please.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Ask to the prime minister, please.
QUESTION: Yes, sorry. Yoshita Singh with Press Trust of India. Prime Minist- -- thank
you, Mr. President.
Prime Minister, the U.S. is giving a lot of push to curb illegal immigration,
and India has been cooperating on this issue. How does India see this issue in
the larger context? Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: [As interpreted.] I don’t think this is a question that is
about India only, but, even globally, you can talk about this issue. And we are
of the opinion that anybody who enters another country illegally, they -- they
have absolutely no right to be in that country.
And as far as India and the U.S. is concerned, we have always been of the same
opinion, and that is that any verified Indian who is in the U.S. illegally, we
are fully prepared to take them back to India. However, it doesn’t stop there.
These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams
and big promises. A lot of them are brought in without them knowing about why
they are going to a country. And, in fact, they are connected with a human
trafficking system, and we have to make sure that we fight against this system.
As far as the U.S. and India is concerned, I think what we should do is make
efforts to make sure that we uproot these from within the system so that we can
reduce or remove human trafficking. And basically, the young, vulnerable, poor
people of India are fooled into coming over as illegal immigrants, and our
bigger fight, actually, is against this ecosystem or this system that encourages
such gangs to thrive. And I can tell you that India will completely support your
endeavor in achieving this.
[Cross talk.]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. A question for Prime Minister Modi first,
if I may. I wanted to ask you: Did you discuss any possible business deals with
Elon Musk during your -- your meetings today, Mr. Prime Minister?
And, Mr. President, I wanted to ask you: Today, you spoke about hoping to have
three-way talks with President Xi and President Putin. What would you say to
European leaders and other allies who may be concerned that you’re apparently
more keen to speak to America’s adversaries than to its allies? Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, maybe I’ll just go and
-- first on this one. We had some
talks, and we told the European Union, we told the NATO people -- largely, they
overlap -- “You have to pay more money because it’s unfair what we’re doing.
We’re doing a tremendous amount more.” We’re probably $200 billion more going
into Ukraine, using for Ukraine to fight, and Europe has not really carried its
weight in terms of the money. It’s not equitable, and we want to see a
counterbalance. We want to have them put up more money. They have to do that.
At the same time, we had a very good conversation with President Putin the other
day -- yesterday. And we also had a very good conversation -- I did, both -- in
both cases -- with President Zelenskyy. And I think we’re going to be able to do
something. I think we’re going to be able to make a deal, and I hope so, because
it’s a horrible war. It’s a very terrible, bloody war with a million and a half
soldiers, at least, already dead on the battlefield, lying all over the fields
like -- nobody has ever seen anything like it since -- certainly since the Second
World War.
And so, I think we’re going to be able to do something. We’re working with
President Zelenskyy and with President Putin, and my impression is that they -- I
know that President Zelenskyy wants to make a deal, and I also feel that -- I
know that President Putin wants to make a deal. I wanted to know that before I
began any detailed discussions.
But the meeting and the -- the conversation -- also, the meeting with Steve Witkoff in Moscow was a very successful one, and my phone call with him was a
very successful one.
Please.
PRIME MINISTER MODI:
[As interpreted.] You asked a question regarding Elon Musk.
I have known him for a very long time. I was not even prime minister at the time
when I first met him; I was chief minister. And today he came to meet me along
with all his family, with his children. And so, we had a nice discussion.
As far as the EV is concerned -- EVs are concerned, the EV -- the word “EV” has a
copyright. And that is one person who has a copyright for the word “EV,” and
that is Trump.
[Cross talk.]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you. That was very nice.
Go ahead, please.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Can I ask whether you discussed at all today the
case of Gautam Adani, who’s one of the weal- -- the wealthiest men in Asia and
perceived as an ally of Prime Minister Modi?
Prime Minister Modi, have you asked the President to take action on that case?
Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: [As interpreted.] Firstly, India is a democratic country,
and our culture and our thought philosophy is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which
basically means that the entire world is a family. Every Indian is my own family
member. And when it comes to such personal matters, two cou- -- leaders of two
countries will not get together on that topic and discuss anything on an
individual matter.
[Cross talk.]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Go ahead. Please. Yeah. Please.
QUESTION: Which one?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Sir, go ahead, please.
QUESTION: Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. I have a
question for you as well.
But, Mr. President, you have suggested -- with regards to the Russia-Ukraine war,
you’ve suggested several things that Ukraine should give up: the idea of NATO
membership, territory that was seized back in 2014 by Russia. What should Russia
give up?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Russia has gotten themselves into something that I think they
wish they didn’t. If I were President, it would not have happened -- absolutely
would not have happened, and it didn’t happen for four years.
If you look at what has taken place, under President Bush, they lost a lot.
Under President Obama, they lost Crimea. Under Biden, it looks like they could
lose the whole thing. Under Trump, they lost nothing -- Ukraine lost nothing.
They didn’t give up anything. And you take a look at the other three Presidents
surrounding me, they gave up a lot.
I think that when you look at Ukraine and when you look at the mess that they’re
in, it’s got to be ended, and it’s got to be stopped.
Now, Russia has taken over a pretty big chunk of territory, and they also have
said from day one -- long before President Putin, they’ve said they cannot have
Ukraine be in NATO. They said that very strongly.
I actually think that that was the thing that caused the start of the war. And
Biden said it, and Zelenskyy said it, and I think that was one of the reasons --
one of the starts of the war.
But from long before Putin, they said you cannot have Ukraine going in, in any
way, into NATO. And I start from that standpoint. I think everybody knew that.
Now, if a better deal can be negotiated, if they were able to make a deal where
they can do that, that’s fine with me. I really don’t care. I want that
bloodshed to stop. I don’t want to see -- you know, we have an ocean between us
and the site we’re talking about -- the site of death. We’re calling it the
fields of death. We have a big ocean in between us. This is more important for
Europe. We shouldn’t be in -- they have to equalize, and they’re going to have to
do it fast, but they have to equalize.
But as far as the negotiation, it’s too early to say what’s going to happen.
Maybe Russia will give up a lot, maybe they won’t, and it’s all dependent on
what is going to happen. The negotiation really hasn’t started.
But I will say, as far as NATO is concerned, from many years before President
Putin, I will tell you that I’ve heard that Russia would never accept that, and
I think Ukraine knew that, because Ukraine wasn’t in and never requested to be
in until more recently. So, that’s the way it is, and I think that’s the way
it’s going to have to be.
[Cross talk.]
QUESTION: But, Mr. President -- Mr. President, I --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Go ahead, please. All right. Go ahead, please, with the tie.
[Cross talk.]
With the tie, yeah.
QUESTION: Mr. President, I have a question for the prime minister.
QUESTION: Mr. President --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes, go ahead, please.
QUESTION: This is Saurabh Shukla from NewsMobile. Mr. President, you spoke about Prime
Minister Modi as a tough negotiator. Who was a tougher negotiator today, and who
has a better negotiating tactic when it comes to tariffs with --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, he’s a much tougher
negotiator than me, and he’s a much better negotiator than me. There’s not even
a contest. Okay?
[Cross talk.]
Yeah, go ahead. Please go ahead. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Reena Bhardwaj from ANI. How do you see this relationship between the India
and the United States to counter China? And what is your vision when it comes to
India, you know, brokering peace in the Ukraine and Russia conflict?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I think we are going to have a very good relationship
with China. I got along with President Xi very well until COVID. That was a
bridge too far. But until then, I got along with President Xi very, very well.
We were very close, as leaders go. I don’t want to be naive, but as leaders go,
I think we were very close.
And I think that China is a very important player in the world. I think they can
help us get this war over with Ukraine and Russia.
And I look at India, I do see the skirmishes on the border, which are quite
vicious, and I guess they continue to go on. If I could be of help, I’d love to
help, because that should be stopped. That’s been going on for a long time, and
it’s quite violent. It’s quite violent.
But I would hope that China and India and Russia and U.S. and all of us can get
along. It’s very important.
You know, the power of weaponry today is -- and not only nuclear, but nuclear, in
particular -- the power of weaponry is very important. I said before that I had
very constructive talks in my first term with President Putin about the
denuclearization of the two countries. And then we were going to go to China
after we worked some kind of a deal, and we had the confines of a deal. We were
-- I thought we -- he really wanted to do it and so did I -- denuclearize. And it’s
such a beautiful term, when you think about it. In other words, to bring it
down, because the power of those weapons is too great.
And I did speak to President Xi about that, and I was getting also a very good
response. He’s building a very strong nuclear power. He’s not very close to
Russia or the United States right now, but he will be soon. I mean, he’ll catch
up over the period of four or five years, they say.
But it would be a great thing if we could -- on a military basis, we’re going to
spend this year 900- -- let’s say $915 billion on military. Russia, without the
war, was spending close to a hundred, but with the war, I can’t tell you what
they’re spending, but they’re spending a lot. And China is spending $400- and
$450 billion. We’re over $900 billion. And I said, “You know, it doesn’t really
make sense.” I said, “We’re spending the money against each other, and we could
spend that money for better purpose if we got along.” And I’ll tell you, I think
that something like that will happen.
First, when I left, as you know, four years ago, we didn’t have Israel and the
Middle East. We didn’t have October 7th -- what a disaster -- the disaster.
Nothing was happening. Iran was not going to do anything, because Iran did not
have much money at that point. They were broke. They were totally broke. They
didn’t have money for Hamas or for Hezbollah. And you didn’t have Russia with
Ukraine, and that would never have happened.
But now I come back, and I have -- the whole world is on fire, so I have to put
out the fires. But after I put out the fires, I’m going to meet with China, and
I’m going to meet with Russia, and we’re going to see if we can de-escalate, if
we can bring it down -- military -- especially as it pertains to nuclear.
Please.
[Cross-talk.]
QUESTION: And India’s role -- India’s role in -- how do --
QUESTION: Mr. President, you mentioned about American Islamic terrorism --
[Cross talk.]
QUESTION: Prime Minister, how do you see India play a role in a -- in de-escalating the
Ukraine-Russia --
INTERPRETER: Mic, please.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: [No translation
provided.]
QUESTION: [As interpreted.] Prime Minister, how do you see India’s role? You have had
discussions with President Trump about de-escalating the conflict in Russia and
Ukraine.
PRIME MINISTER MODI: [As interpreted.] As you know, I have been in constant
contact with both Russia and Ukraine. I have also visited both countries. And
many peoples are mistaken and they feel that India is neutral. I would like to
clarify: India is not neutral. We have taken a side, and we have taken the side
of peace.
And it is based on this principle of ours that, in the presence of President
Putin, I clearly said in front of the media that this is not the era of war. And
even today, it is my conviction that solutions cannot be found on the
battlefield. Ultimately, you have to come to the negotiating table, and India
has constantly made efforts that there are talks that take place where both
parties are present. It is only then that we will find a solution.
The efforts being made by President Trump -- I support them, I welcome them, and
I would like that President Trump is successful as soon as possible so that the
world is on the path to peace once again.
[Cross talk.]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Everybody, thank you very much. Thank you very much.
[Cross talk.]
And I very much appreciate the prime minister visiting our great country, and I
do really appreciate it. We have so much in common, and all we want to do is
have peace, and we want to have strength, and we want to have lots of different
things together, but the relationship with India and with the prime minister has
never been better.
