US President Donald Trump said today that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi “have become great friends and our countries have never been closer”. PM Modi and Mr Trump discussed various bilateral and global issues including trade, defence, Iran and 5G communications networks ahead of the G20 summit in Japan’s Osaka. PM Modi, at an informal meeting of BRICS leaders, said “terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity”, which not only kills innocents but also severely affects the economic development and social stability.

PM Modi and Mr Trump’s interaction is significant in view of the multiple disagreements that have cropped up between India and the US, including trade tariffs and an arms deal with Russia. Yesterday, PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe met and discussed a range of subjects, including the bullet train project and fugitive economic offenders.