Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Joe Biden on Saturday during the Quad summit, with discussions expected to encompass a range of topics, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The leaders gathered at Biden’s residence, aiming to explore new avenues to enhance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. “My meeting with President Biden will allow us to review and identify new pathways to further deepen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our people and the global good,” PM Modi stated before departing from New Delhi.
The war in Ukraine, alongside PM’s recent visit to the country, was anticipated to be a key focus of the bilateral talks, according to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. PM Modi is on a three-day visit to the United States and is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the summit.
Accompanying Modi were External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The US delegation included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sullivan, and Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
The annual Quad summit, hosted by Biden in his hometown, is expected to unveil initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and exploring peaceful resolutions to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue advocates for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, which China perceives as an anti-China coalition.
Following the summit in Wilmington, Modi will travel to New York, where he plans to engage with the Indian community on Long Island on September 22 and address the Summit of the Future at the UN General Assembly the following day.
“I am eagerly looking forward to engaging with the Indian diaspora and important American business leaders, who are the key stakeholders and provide vibrancy to the unique partnership between the largest and the oldest democracies of the world,” PM Modi said.