Trump quashes India's hopes of trade deal during maiden visit
We are not treated very well by India but I happen to like Modi a lot, says US President Trump ahead of maiden visit
Reuters file photos of Indian PM Modi and US President Trump.
United States President Donald Trump quashed hopes of a trade deal with India during his maiden trip to the South Asian nation as the "US was not treated well" by New Delhi.
Trump, on his maiden visit to the South Asian nation, told reporters before boarding a plane that although the US was not treated well by India, he was fond of the country's right-wing prime minister.
“We’re not treated very well by India but I happen to like Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lot.”
However, the US president did say that Washington and New Delhi could have a trade deal at a later date.
“Well, we can have a trade deal with India but I’m really saving the big deal for later on,” he told reporters before boarding a plane. “We’re doing a very big trade deal with India. We’ll have it.”
US arms sale to India to destabilise region: FO
But Trump was unsure when the “big deal” will be signed. “I don’t know if it will be done before the election but we’ll have a very big deal with India,” he added.
Trump and wife Melania are scheduled to make their maiden trip as the US first couple on February 24-25 during which he will travel to Modi’s home state of Gujarat to attend an event at a stadium along the lines of the “Howdy Modi” extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.
The US president, who is partial to political gatherings himself, excitedly told reporters that the event will be attended by millions. “I’m told we’ll have seven million people between the airport and the event [in Gujarat].”
“The stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction but it’s going to be the largest stadium in the world,” he continued. “So it’s going to be very exciting.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0R8E1n0JZI
Reuters had reported that a meeting is being planned for February 25 between Trump and Indian executives, especially those focusing on job creation and manufacturing in the United States.
The meeting, which will be held in New Delhi, was unlikely to include executives of US companies.
“President (Trump) is keen on acknowledging Indian companies which are focusing on manufacturing in the United States,” a Washington-based source aware of the plans told Reuters.
Reality check for Modi’s toxic politics
Afghan Peace Process
Responding to a question about the Afghan Peace Process, Trump boasted the US could win the war “so quickly your head will spin” if only he was willing to “kill millions of people”.
The Republican said the US had been in Afghanistan for 19 years now and was acting as a law enforcement agency rather than a military. He said the US had reduced the number of forces over time as well.
“We could win that very quickly and easily if I was willing to kill millions of people but I’m not willing to do that,” he told reporters. “We’d win that so quickly your head would spin and I’m not talking about nuclear I’m talking about very conventional but I’m not willing to kill millions of people so we are negotiating with the Taliban.”
“We’ve been negotiating for a while and let’s see what happens. It’s a chance of making a deal – there’s a chance.”
It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan-brokered talks between the Afghan Taliban and US are near concluded with the two sides on the cusp of signing a peace deal.
The imminent peace deal was the result of a 14-month long painstaking negotiation process — brokered and facilitated by Pakistan — between the US and the Taliban.
Ahead of the formal signing of the agreement — possibly on February 29 — the Afghan Taliban would observe a seven-day ceasefire in a move aims at gauging the authority the Taliban representatives holding talks with the US wields on battlefield commanders as well as to create an enabling environment for an intra-Afghan dialogue.
Read more on the Afghan Peace Process here.
(With additional input from Reuters.)
Trump, on his maiden visit to the South Asian nation, told reporters before boarding a plane that although the US was not treated well by India, he was fond of the country's right-wing prime minister.
“We’re not treated very well by India but I happen to like Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lot.”
However, the US president did say that Washington and New Delhi could have a trade deal at a later date.
“Well, we can have a trade deal with India but I’m really saving the big deal for later on,” he told reporters before boarding a plane. “We’re doing a very big trade deal with India. We’ll have it.”
US arms sale to India to destabilise region: FO
But Trump was unsure when the “big deal” will be signed. “I don’t know if it will be done before the election but we’ll have a very big deal with India,” he added.
Trump and wife Melania are scheduled to make their maiden trip as the US first couple on February 24-25 during which he will travel to Modi’s home state of Gujarat to attend an event at a stadium along the lines of the “Howdy Modi” extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.
The US president, who is partial to political gatherings himself, excitedly told reporters that the event will be attended by millions. “I’m told we’ll have seven million people between the airport and the event [in Gujarat].”
“The stadium, I understand, is sort of semi under construction but it’s going to be the largest stadium in the world,” he continued. “So it’s going to be very exciting.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0R8E1n0JZI
Reuters had reported that a meeting is being planned for February 25 between Trump and Indian executives, especially those focusing on job creation and manufacturing in the United States.
The meeting, which will be held in New Delhi, was unlikely to include executives of US companies.
“President (Trump) is keen on acknowledging Indian companies which are focusing on manufacturing in the United States,” a Washington-based source aware of the plans told Reuters.
Reality check for Modi’s toxic politics
Afghan Peace Process
Responding to a question about the Afghan Peace Process, Trump boasted the US could win the war “so quickly your head will spin” if only he was willing to “kill millions of people”.
The Republican said the US had been in Afghanistan for 19 years now and was acting as a law enforcement agency rather than a military. He said the US had reduced the number of forces over time as well.
“We could win that very quickly and easily if I was willing to kill millions of people but I’m not willing to do that,” he told reporters. “We’d win that so quickly your head would spin and I’m not talking about nuclear I’m talking about very conventional but I’m not willing to kill millions of people so we are negotiating with the Taliban.”
“We’ve been negotiating for a while and let’s see what happens. It’s a chance of making a deal – there’s a chance.”
It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan-brokered talks between the Afghan Taliban and US are near concluded with the two sides on the cusp of signing a peace deal.
The imminent peace deal was the result of a 14-month long painstaking negotiation process — brokered and facilitated by Pakistan — between the US and the Taliban.
Ahead of the formal signing of the agreement — possibly on February 29 — the Afghan Taliban would observe a seven-day ceasefire in a move aims at gauging the authority the Taliban representatives holding talks with the US wields on battlefield commanders as well as to create an enabling environment for an intra-Afghan dialogue.
Read more on the Afghan Peace Process here.
(With additional input from Reuters.)