Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi met on Saturday for what the British prime minister called a “very warm and productive discussion” covering everything from trade to cooperation on education, research and defence.
Sunak met his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, saying afterwards he was confident they could “work through” the remaining hurdles standing in the way of a free trade agreement.
The two sides have been negotiating a trade deal for more than 18 months, but officials are increasingly confident that they can finalise an agreement later this year.
Sunak said afterwards: “Prime minister Modi and I had a very warm and productive discussion on a range of different things. With regard to the trade deal, there is a desire on both our parts to see a successful trade deal concluded.
“The opportunities are there for both countries, but there is a lot of hard work that is still to go and we need to work through that, as we will do.”
Sunak added that the two leaders had discussed further cooperation in the future on defence, scientific research and education, hinting at a much closer alliance to come. “India, as this G20 is showing, is going to be one of the most important geopolitical actors over the next years and decades,” he said.
The prime minister was not due to discuss Ukraine, however, as leaders struggled to agree a position on Russia’s invasion. The official G20 leaders’ declaration said countries had “different views and assessments” on the war.
India continues to import oil and weapons from Russia, something Sunak refused to criticise in advance of the talks.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “We’re always looking to further deepen the coalition of countries that are in opposition to Russia’s illegal war. I think you’ve already heard from India, who have shown strong support for the UN charter and the need to respect sovereign borders.”
The two prime ministers had been expected to meet a day earlier, but the plans were postponed. Officials would not say why that happened, but Modi did hold a high-profile discussion with the US president, Joe Biden, on Friday evening.
Sunak has been received warmly in Delhi, where he has been accompanied by his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of one of India’s most famous business tycoons. He said in advance of the trip that he hoped to be greeted like “India’s son-in-law”.
Any possibility of the pair being able to tour Delhi and meet local people has been scuppered, however, by the fact that almost the entire city has been shut down for the event.
They dined alone on Friday night after a planned business event at the British high commission was cancelled because executives were unable to get through the police cordons set up around the city.
