Modi speaks to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, thanks her for backing India-EU trade deal
PM Modi said he and Meloni “reaffirmed shared interest in bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, a conversation in which he said both reaffirmed joint commitment to deepen India-Italy strategic partnership and ending the Ukraine conflict.
PM Modi thanked Meloni for Italy’s support for concluding a mutually beneficial India-European Union (EU) trade agreement.
“Had an excellent conversation with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. We reaffirmed our joint commitment to deepen India-Italy Strategic Partnership, and shared interest in bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. Thanked PM Meloni for Italy’s proactive support for concluding a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement and promoting connectivity through the IMEEEC initiative,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
The mention of an agreement with the EU comes hours after reports surfaced that US President Donald Trump asking the supranational union to impose sweeping duties on India.
According to a Financial Times report, the President called into a meeting with senior US and EU officials in Washington and made the demand there. “We’re ready to go, ready to go right now, but we’re only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” the publication quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
India and the EU were expected to hold the next round of talks on a free trade deal in New Delhi this week, with the focus shifting to more substantial issues such as non-tariff barriers, market access and public procurements as the two sides race to deliver on the target of concluding negotiations by the year-end, according to an earlier HT report.
PM Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni last met in June on the sidelines of the 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.
The camaraderie between PM Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni often makes waves on social media, with their interactions sparking a trending hashtag #Melodi.
