Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Mumbai Thursday. Starmer is in Mumbai with a delegation to discuss a trade deal and a technology security initiative launched in July. Handout Photo by Press Information Bureau/EPA
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Thursday in Mumbai in a visit Modi described as “historic.”
Starmer is on a two-day visit that includes a large delegation of 125 CEOs, vice-chancellors, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders.
The two sides signed a trade deal in July, and the leaders are there to discuss ways to expand business and trade ties.
A prime sticking point, though, is the war in Ukraine. India continues to buy oil from Russia, which has angered President Donald Trump. The president levied a 50% tariff on Indian goods in retaliation.
Modi has called himself a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has said he wants the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to end through “dialogue and diplomacy.”
“The prime minister and I also discussed the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the need for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to cooperate in critical areas like climate and energy, including breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels,” Starmer said.
Starmer also said he wants India to join the United Nations Security Council, a longtime goal of India.
“We sit together in the Commonwealth, the G20, and we want to see India taking its rightful place on the UN Security Council, too. So we are committed to strengthening our strategic partnership,” he said.
Modi announced that the pair have reached an agreement that will see Indian Air Force instructors giving training to the U.K.’s Royal Air Force.
He also announced that nine U.K. universities will open campuses in India, calling it a “matter of great joy.”
“The Gurugram campus of Southampton University was recently inaugurated, and the first group of students has also taken admission,” he said.
Starmer is expected to plead the case of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, 38, who has been in an Indian prison for seven years with no conviction, the BBC reported. Starmer said he would raise his case at “every level.”
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Starmer and Modi will attend the India-U.K. CEO Forum and the Global Fintech Fest on Thursday.
