Trump and Modi hold first talks at White House

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they begin a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, June 26, 2017Image copyright
Reuters

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The war in Afghanistan is also expected to be discussed by the two leaders

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump are holding their first face-to-face meeting.

Trade and security issues are expected to top the agenda for their talks at the White House, after which they are due to issue joint statements.

In a tweet, Mr Trump described Mr Modi as a “true friend”.

Mr Modi earlier met the heads of 20 US companies, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai.

He told them that his government had pushed through thousands of reforms to make India “business friendly”.

He later tweeted: “Interacted with top CEOs. We held extensive discussions on opportunities in India.”

Although the US and India are both economic powerhouses, there are sharp differences on issues such as immigration and climate change.

In an article for the Wall Street Journal ahead of their meeting, Mr Modi said India and the US were “mutually reinforcing engines of growth and innovation.”

The two leaders are expected to push for closer co-operation on defence and international security.

Trump and Modi hold first talks at White House}