US NSA Waltz calls on PM Modi in Washington
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz at the Blair House, a US government facility where he is staying for his meeting later in the day with US President Donald Trump.
No readouts were available yet, but this was a second top official of the Trump administration that the Prime Minister had received since arriving here on Wednesday.
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, had called on the PM Wednesday evening shortly after being administered the oath of office and getting confirmed by the US Senate.
The Prime Minister’s delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Waltz is on old India hand. In his previous avatar as a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, he was co-chair of the congressional India Caucus along with Ro Khanna, a Democrat. Waltz has been a strong supporter of the relationship with India.
Gabbard, the new top spy of the US, has also backed India in the past. As a member of the US House of Representatives, and as a Democrat, she was co-chair of the India Caucus. In effect, the Trump cabinet now has two former co-chairs of the India Caucus.
“They discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship,” PMO India said in a post on X about the Gabbard-PM Modi meeting.
The Prime Minister is also expected to receive Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has emerged a trusted ally and adviser to President Trump. The US President has entrusted Musk with the task of making the federal government efficient. He has met PM Modi several times before and also escorted the PM when he toured the Tesla facility in San Jose in 2015.