US President Joseph Biden plans to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a state dinner this summer, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The official state visit is a sign of the increasing US-Indian relations as the administration pushes for policies and efforts for a free and open Indo-Pacific to counter what it sees as a growing threat from China.
The state dinner is scheduled to take place in June by the White House, but reports suggest that the date may change. A representative of the National Security Council declined to comment.
The leaders of the Group of 20 will convene in New Delhi in September, and one of the key topics of conversation will be Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is not expected to show up to the summit.
When the presidents of Australia and Japan meet in Australia in May for the Quad Summit, Biden is also expected to encounter PM Modi there.
After state dinners for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 26 and French President Emmanuel Macron in December, Biden will host a dinner party with Prime Minister Modi.
A plan to trade cutting-edge computing and defence technology, including the joint production of General Electric Co. aircraft engines, was presented by the United States and India last month under the name Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
The US and its allies would like to see India speak out more against Putin’s conflict in Ukraine. By lessening New Delhi’s historical reliance on Moscow for military hardware and China’s increasing assertiveness, the alliance on crucial technology is meant to counterbalance Russian influence in India. US political figures from both parties have tried to improve ties with Modi.
