PM Narendra Modi Meets Elon Musk ahead of Bilateral Talks with Donald Trump

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX and a key advisor to President Donald Trump.

Musk called on the Prime Minister at the Blair House, the US government facility less than 100 metres from the White House where he would hold talks with US President Donald Trump later in the day. No readouts were available yet of their conversation.

Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Musk was accompanied by his family, including X, the five-year-old who shared the limelight with his father and President Trump during a joint news briefing at the Oval Office, earlier this week.

Prime Minister Modi and Musk have met several times before, starting with a 2015 visit by the Indian leader to the San Jose facility of Tesla where the owner gave him a personal guided tour.

Musk has toyed with the idea of developing a more affordable version of Tesla for the India market but there has not been much movement on it yet.

Musk has a towering presence in the Trump administration and the US President has entrusted him with improving the efficiency of the federal government, making it leaner and cost-effective. His efforts have already resulted in the closure of the US Agency for International Development and its work being merged with the State Department, which had titular oversight over it earlier.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi received National Security Advisor Mike Waltz at Blair House on Thursday and Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday, who had called on him within hours of being confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence, making her the top spy in the United States, heading the 18-member Intelligence Community.

Earlier in December, Musk announced Starlink satellite internet was inactive in India after authorities seized two of the company's devices, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust, according to a Reuters report.

It was not clear whether Tesla's entry into India would come up for discussion between PM Modi and Musk, Reuters reported, citing sources. However, increased sourcing of electric vehicle components from India is likely to be discussed during the meeting.

PM Modi is also set to hold a meeting with the Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy had earlier been in the race for the White House but eventually pulled out. The Indian-origin entrepreneur who gained attention for his outspoken debate performances had ended his presidential bid and thrown his support behind Donald Trump, whom he had earlier dubbed the "best president of the 21st century.".

PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials welcomed him at the airport. This is PM Modi's first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term.

Upon arrival in the US, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting with US President Donald Trump and building upon the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. (Agencies)

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