Friendship of two powers.

prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met for the first time on Monday, seeking to develop a warm relationship despite differences over trade, immigration and the Paris climate accord.

Modi earlier arrived at the White House on Monday for his first meeting with Trump, seeking to build on a recent upturn in ties between the world’s two largest democracies.

During brief Oval Office remarks, Trump heaped praise on Modi as a “great prime minister” who had brought economic growth to India. Modi recalled Trump’s visits to India long before he was president and said he was looking forward to collaborating with him now that he is president.


In marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and the United States, the leaders resolved to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between the countries and advance common objectives.

The meeting between the off-the-cuff President and the prime minister who leads one of the world's fastest growing economies will be filled with contentious issues, but none may be more challenging than how the United States treats India like a "major defense partner" -- a designation the Obama administration gave the country in 2016 -- without angering neighboring Pakistan.