Washington, Jan 22: India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met the newly-appointed US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who is a key Cabinet member of the Trump administration, in Washington D.C and said that "he is looking forward to working together on an active and outcome-oriented agenda".
Before he met with US NSA Waltz on Tuesday, EAM Jaishankar met newly-elected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and also attended the maiden Quad ministerial of the new Trump administration along with his counterparts from Australia, Japan, and the US.
"Great to meet NSA @michaelgwaltz again this afternoon. Discussed strengthening our friendship to ensure mutual benefit and enhance global stability and prosperity. Looking forward to working together on an active and outcome oriented agenda," the EAM said on Tuesday on social media platform X after the meeting.
EAM Jaishankar, 70, who is here at the invitation of the US government to attend the presidential inauguration, also had a meeting with the US National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz at the White House.
EAM Jaishankar joined international and US leaders and tech titans at the inauguration of President Donald Trump at the Capitol, taking a prominent seat.
The EAM, who came as India's Special Envoy, was given a place of honour, seated on the first seat on the first righthand row at the swearing-in ceremony on Monday (January 20).
Earlier on December 28, 2024, EAM Jaishankar had met Trump's NSA Waltz and said that he was "looking forward" to working with him.
Both EAM Jaishankar and Waltz had a wide-ranging conversation on the bilateral partnership between India and the US as well as current global issues.
The EAM was on an official visit to the US from December 24-29. This was the first highest-level in-person meeting between the Indian government and the then-incoming Trump administration.
"Delighted to meet" Waltz "this evening," EAM Jaishankar had posted on X on December 27, 2024.
"Enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership as well as current global issues. Look forward to working with him," he said..
Michael Waltz, a Congressman from Florida who is the co-chair of the India Caucus, is US President-elect Trump's new National Security Adviser.
Waltz is a retired Army colonel who served as a Green Beret, an elite special forces unit of the US Army.
He has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 2019. He has been a forceful critic of President Joe Biden's foreign policy and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Intelligence Committee this term.
He has called for Europe to do more to support Ukraine and for the US to be more stringent with its support, aligning with a key foreign policy goal of US President Trump. He has also been a staunch critic of the Biden administration's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Waltz has praised Trump for pushing NATO allies to spend more on defence.
Waltz is also on the Republican's China taskforce and has argued the US military is not as prepared as it needs to be if there is conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
Waltz had been open about his willingness to serve in the administration and was considered a candidate to lead the Pentagon. The role of National Security Adviser does not require Senate confirmation.
Waltz is also a co-chair of the India Caucus in the House, which is the largest country-specific group in the US Congress.
According to his website, Waltz was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and went on to serve for 27 years in the US Army and National Guard.
As Trump's NSA, Waltz will be dealing with Ajit Doval, the Indian NSA who has dealt with a rotating roster of NSA starting with his first Michael Flynn in 2017 and then H R McMaster, John Bolton, and then Robert Brien; all in the Trump administration.
