Honour to have PM Modi, he is great friend of mine for long time: US President Donald Trump

Trump said that he and PM Modi share a "wonderful relationship" and they kept the ties during the four-year period. He said that they will hold talks on oil, gas and trade. He also congratulated PM Modi on having done a great job.

Speaking to reporters alongside PM Modi, Donald Trump said, "It's a great honour to have PM Modi of India. He is a great friend of mine for a long time. We have had a wonderful relationship and we kept the relationship during our 4 year period...We have just started up again. We have, I think, some very big things to talk about. Number 1 is, they are going to be purchasing a lot of our oil and gas."

"We have more oil and gas than any other country in the world by far. They need it, and we have it. We are going to talk about trade. We are going to talk about many things. But, it's really an honour to see you, you have been my friend for a long time. Congratulations on having done a great job," he added.

Earlier, Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the West Wing lobby in the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday (local time). The two leaders shared a warm hug as they greeted each other.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff shared a picture of PM Modi and Trump on X. While sharing the picture on X, Dan Scavino stated, "Behind Scenes in the West Wing lobby -- @POTUS Trump welcomes Prime Minister @NarendraModi of India to the @WhiteHouse."

The Indian delegation including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra arrived at the White House soon after PM Modi's arrival.

The Prime Minister is among the first few world leaders to visit the United States following President Trump's inauguration. He has been invited to visit within three weeks of the new administration taking office.

Since November 2024, PM Modi and Trump have spoken on the phone twice. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump as PM Modi's Special Envoy. During the visit, EAM Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and participated in the QUAD Foreign Ministers' meeting in January 2025.

Ahead of his meeting with Trump at the White House, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.

PM Modi arrived in the US after concluding his three-day visit to France, where he participated in various programmes related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), commerce, energy, and cultural linkages. He co-chaired the AI Action Summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.