Donald Trump holds telephone discussion with PM Modi as Jaishankar reaches U.S.

Against the backdrop of a strain in India-U.S. ties over multiple issues, including tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 2, 2026), U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor announced on the day. Shortly before the announcement by Mr. Gor, Mr. Trump had shared an image of India Gate in New Delhi calling it “India’s beautiful Triumphal Arch”. The telephone conversation took place as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar started a visit to the United States from February 2 to 4 when he will participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial meet convened by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The conversation between the President and the Prime Minister is the first since the U.S. leader convened a ‘Board of Peace’ consisting of multiple global leaders aimed at ending the crisis in Gaza Strip. India has maintained a studied silence on participating in the Board of Peace even though Mr. Trump had invited Mr. Modi to participate in the summit that took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22. Mr. Jaishankar had, in the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers meeting on January 31, said that ending the conflict in Gaza Strip is a “widely shared priority” in the world.

“The Ministerial will focus on supply chain resilience, clean energy transitions, and strategic cooperation in critical minerals,” said the MEA announcing that Mr. Jaishankar, during the ongoing tour, “will also hold meetings with senior members of the US administration.” Apart from India, dozens of other countries such as Kenya, South Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo that have significant national minerals production will be part of the meeting. The ministerial is aimed at reducing dependence on China for critical minerals and create a supply chain that will cover the entire supply chain from mining, processing, and recycling to pricing mechanism. The participating countries are also expected to sign a non-binding document.

The discussion between the two sides is being watched as India and the U.S. have been in a negotiation over a bilateral trade agreement, which is yet to firm up and especially as it comes just days after India announced the conclusion of negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. The announcement of the India-EU trade agreement had drawn appreciation from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said that India had come on “top” in the deal with the EU. “They get more market access into Europe,” said Mr. Greer in an interview with Fox Business on January 27.