The White House announced Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden will receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit on June 22.
“The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Biden wants to win the battle between free and authoritarian civilizations, notably China, by improving relations with India.
Ajit Doval, India’s national security advisor, visited Washington in February to begin a collaboration on military equipment, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.
New Delhi’s military drills with Russia and increased crude oil purchases, which fuel the Ukraine war, have angered Washington. As a result, Washington is pressuring New Delhi to punish Russia for the Ukraine incursion.
Modi’s relationship with Washington had changed since 2005 when President George W. Bush refused him a visa on a U.S. law forbidding “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
Following becoming Gujarat’s chief minister, Modi ordered that following sectarian rioting kill over 1,000 Muslims. Modi denied guilt.
In 2014, Modi was welcomed to the White House by President Barack Obama after his Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies won India’s elections, making him prime minister and giving the Hindu nationalist and his party a mandate for economic transformation.
