Malaysia has informed India that US President Donald Trump will travel to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN and East Asia summits from October 26 to 28. It paves the way for a possible bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines.
Although there has been no official confirmation regarding PM Modi’s visit to Malaysia, preparations are underway. The United States has reportedly also not issued any official statement on Trump’s travel plans, neither from the White House nor the State Department.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will host the ASEAN and East Asia summits, and Kuala Lumpur has been in touch with New Delhi concerning India’s participation. Malaysia has further conveyed that Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also expected to attend the summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The possibility of a Modi-Trump meeting has been under consideration, especially as Washington and New Delhi have restarted discussions on a trade deal that had been stalled due to US tariffs and India’s purchase of Russian oil. On September 16, Trump called Modi to extend birthday wishes on the eve of his 75th birthday. That same day, India and a visiting US delegation held extensive trade discussions, later described by both sides as “positive”. This was the first direct exchange between the two leaders since tensions flared after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent.
According to reports, on September 30, hours after Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza, PM Modi welcomed the proposal and voiced optimism that “all concerned will come together” to support “this effort to end conflict and secure peace.”
“We welcome President Donald J Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. It provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region. We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
PM Modi’s prompt response expressed “support” for Trump’s “initiative” and “effort,” with his appeal to “all concerned” seen as a message to Iran, a regional partner of India.
The final decision on whether India’s Prime Minister and Trump will meet in Kuala Lumpur hinges on the progress of the trade deal negotiations. If a meeting is to be scheduled, the deal must be finalized within a month, by October 26.
During the United Nations General Assembly session in September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New York. After the meeting, Rubio referred to India as “a relationship of critical importance” for the United States and highlighted “trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals” as areas of focus.
Both PM Modi and Trump also addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict in their respective social media posts after the September 16 phone call. India’s Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to elevate the India-US partnership to “new heights.”
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