Trump expected to visit India early next year amid final trade deal talks, says Rubio

US President Donald Trump is expected to visit India by early next year as the two countries are moving closer towards striking the much anticipated trade deal. The development was confirmed by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking to IANS at the White House, Rubio said that he is likely to arrive in India by the end of this year to make preparations for Trump’s visit.

Rubio confirms visit plans

“I look forward to returning myself before the end of the year and setting up a Presidential visit in the early parts of next year," said Rubio.

"We're hoping. That's what we're working towards sometime early next year to have the President come,” he added.

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The Secretary of State also said that the relationship between the two countries was on solid grounds in the wake of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

'I think it's going fantastic. I mean, it's very strong," he said. "We had a great meeting with the Prime Minister. The President did at the G7,” said Rubio.

Trade deal in sight

As for the bilateral trade deal between the two countries, Rubio said that the talks were progressing in a positive way adding that both sides were on the “last inches” of clinching the deal.

“We're hoping to finalise a trade deal. We're on the last inches of getting it done, and it's very positive," he said.

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“Washington was also looking forward to another meeting of the Quad leaders in the near future. We look forward to re-engaging again in another Quad meeting very soon," added Rubio.

Trump’s last visit to India took place in February 2020 when he and PM Modi jointly addressed the "Namaste Trump" rally in Ahmedabad and later held talks in New Delhi.

Strategic ties deepen

India and the US have stepped up diplomatic engagement in recent months as both sides work to conclude a long-pending bilateral trade agreement while broadening cooperation in defense, technology and the Indo-Pacific.

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PM Modi and President Trump met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit earlier this month, where they reviewed progress across key areas of the strategic partnership. The leaders also discussed developments in West Asia, with Modi raising concerns over the safety of Indian seafarers following attacks in the Gulf region and stressing the need to keep vital shipping lanes open.

Trump described ties with India as "very strong" and reiterated Washington's support for New Delhi. Officials from both countries have since indicated that trade negotiations are nearing completion, with discussions also continuing on expanding collaboration under the Quad framework comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia.

The proposed presidential visit is expected to build on the momentum generated by the recent high-level exchanges.