Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Sandhu pointed out that the early interaction between Modi and US President Donald Trump signals India’s significance as a strategic partner. “This visit reflects the importance of India and the bipartisan commitment to strengthening the relationship,” Sandhu said.
This engagement follows an early phone call between the two leaders soon after Trump’s inauguration, mirroring their interactions during Trump’s first term. Sandhu believes the visit symbolises continuity in the partnership and sets the stage for reaffirming shared priorities across trade, energy, and defence.
Sandhu emphasised that this dialogue will serve as a platform for both nations to address mutual concerns and reinforce critical areas of collaboration.
Edited Excerpt:
Q: Prime Minister Modi will be among the first world leaders to visit the United States in February. They may meet on the sidelines of the AI Summit in France as well, but how do you see the priority given to India to Prime Minister Modi in the first set of phone calls and the first set of visits to the White House next month?
Sandhu: This early visit has two aspects. One is the importance of India — that India is an important country and an important partner for the United States. And secondly, I will also underline the bipartisanship. You will recall that Prime Minister Modi was recently one of the last visitors to the United States. President Biden hosted him at his personal residence in Delaware, and he would be one of the earliest visitors to the United States too under President Trump. While the visit has yet to be officially announced, President Trump mentioned this on Air Force One to a journalist. So that will send an important message. And I think it’s also significant that they are meeting because it’s a great opportunity.
Q: When we speak about the White House statement, one point that Donald Trump insisted on and emphasised was that India should procure more security equipment from the US. What could be on Trump’s wish list right now?
Sandhu: You have to remember that Trump won the election in the domestic context, and foremost in that is the economy. And when we talk of the economy, it’s the cost of living, oil, bread, milk prices. The vice president (JD Vance), in his first interview, mentioned all these.
If you now take a look at energy, LNG, tariffs — important ingredients of making the cost of living low for his American supporters, or people who voted for him, the large middle class. And from there, you can also see his desire for the relationship — trade should be balanced, and India should buy more LNG, oil. He has even said this to Europeans.
In Trump 1.0, India started purchasing LNG from the United States. So, the energy sector was important and covered in the conversation. If you look at the Indian statement, it includes trade, defence, investments, energy, and technology. These are the five areas which are being covered.
So, on the defence side, he generally appears to mean that there needs to be more balance, and India should be purchasing more from the United States. As I said, this is a good opportunity for both sides to re-emphasise and re-underline the important aspects of our relationship.
Watch the accompanying video for the entire conversation.
