PM Modi Likely to Visit Washington to Meet Biden: Report

File photos of PM Modi and US President Joe Biden

(Image: The Quint)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Washington DC and New York in the last week of September for an in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden, as per top government sources, The Indian Express reported.

This will be Modi’s first visit to the United States since Biden assumed office early this year. The two have virtually met during the Quad summit in March, the climate change summit in April, and the G-7 summit in June.

Modi was supposed to travel to the UK for the G-7 summit, but had to cancel due to the second COVID-19 wave, which wreaked havoc in India.

Modi’s expected visit comes two years after the then President Donald Trump had held the Howdy Modi event in Houston, where Modi used his “abki baar Trump Sarkar” trope, which didn’t go down well with the Democrats.

After Washington, Modi is likely to visit New York for the United Nations General Assembly session.

An in-person Quad leaders’ summit is also reportedly being planned in Washington DC, around the same time as Modi’s visit.

As per sources, a “hybrid format” where at least Modi and Biden meet in person is an option, while Australia’s Scott Morrison and Japan’s Suga join virtually, the report added.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is already in Washington DC, has met Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman, to discuss strategic bilateral ties and the crisis in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)