New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United States President Joe Biden for a bilateral talk at his residence in Delhi late Friday evening, shortly after Mr Biden’s Air Force One landed in Delhi ahead of the weekend’s G20 Summit. The Prime Minister’s Office shared photos of the two leaders having talks on “a wide range of issues (that) will further deepen bond between India and the US”.

A number of topics, including a deal for jet engines, procurement of predator drones, and collaboration on critical technologies like 5G and 6G networks, are expected to be discussed, officials had said.

There was also talk of a major rail deal but US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan would not confirm these claims. He did, though, flag it as an effort in which the United States is invested. “We believe connectivity from India – across the Middle East – to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic as well as strategic benefits to all countries involved,” he had said.

After the leaders’ bilateral talk, the Prime Minister will host Mr Biden to dinner.

Earlier today, before he set off for India, Mr Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “every time we (the G20) engage, we get better”. “I’m headed to the G20 – the premier forum for international economic cooperation… focused on making progress on Americans’ priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver,” he said.