Ahead of the G20 summit, PM Modi is all set to have a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden on September 8. This is Biden’s first tour to India as US President, the last president to visit India was Donald Trump in 2020. Generally, there are no bilateral meetings at the G20 summit but the hosts have made exceptions for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and US President. The two leaders will have discussions and look forward to working on deals that would be beneficial for both countries and strengthen the two powers. Key highlights of the meeting will include discussions on the construction of small nuclear reactors, drone deals, jet engine deals, academic programs for Indian students in the US, aid to Ukraine, and new consultancies of both countries. 

The main aim of the meeting will be to make India-US relations better. The two nations will have conversations regarding the construction of six small nuclear reactors in India and to curb differences that were created because of the Civil Nuclear liability law. Both nations are focussing on building small reactors as they are easier to build and less capital-intensive as compared to bigger reactors. The discussions between the two countries regarding this topic have been going on since PM Modi’s state visit to the US in June this year. Now the discussion on creating next-generation small modular reactor technologies is in top gear, which are meant for the indigenous market as well as for export to third-world countries. 

The two countries are also working towards finalizing the GE jet engines negotiation that was agreed upon in the prior visit in June, after the signing of an agreement between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the production of GE F-414 jet engines in India for the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2. After the US Congress last week agreed on a deal that will help in a higher level of transfer of US jet engine technology than ever, the two sides are looking forward to expediting the result of this deal. Along with the jet engines, India also has plans to acquire General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs, highly robust drones. The General Atomics is intending to establish a Comprehensive Global MRO facility. The official statement will be made after the conference. 

For the betterment of the academic field, the US and India are also working towards revealing educational programs tailored for Indian students, who want to study in the US. The program will offer STEM courses for a year-long Master’s degree with a specialisation in a specific industry. The trainees will have the choice of staying in the US for up to three years and working there after the program. 

Even though both nations have different stances on the Ukraine-Russia war, both countries have helped Ukraine with humanitarian aid. While the US had sent various lethal weapons, India has so far sent in about 1,00,000 kilograms of humanitarian aid, which included important medications, medical supplies, cloaks, tents, edibles, and the latest tranche. A joint help to Ukraine will help them recover. Both India and the US will also look forward to strengthening their relationships and opening new consulates. Two US consulates are scheduled to be built in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, while India is set to have a consulate in Seattle.  Information on two new consulates in the US is anticipated as well.