00:00Breaking news that's coming in at the moment.
00:03U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gorr says Donald Trump has spoken to Prime Minister Modi.
00:09In fact, Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social site India Today's year-end magazine cover.
00:17Take a look at that cover, which was with pictures of Mr. Modi and Donald Trump together.
00:24The U.S. Ambassador has said on the Modi-Trump talks, stay tuned.
00:28So that's the big story that's coming in at the moment.
00:33Donald Trump, Narendra Modi's cover.
00:35I have a copy of that magazine here with me, which had both of them on the cover as the newsmakers of the year in 2025.
00:46And Donald Trump has put this out on his Truth Social.
00:50Let's go straight across to our Diplomatic Affairs editor, Geeta Mohan, Foreign Affairs, joins us.
00:55Geeta, what are we gathering from these talks?
00:58How are we to interpret the fact that Donald Trump has put this on the cover of him and Mr. Modi?
01:04And Sergio Gorr has confirmed that talks have taken place between the leaders.
01:09Well, details are still awaited.
01:10But this comes even as external affairs minister, Dr. Jai Shankar, is in the United States of America.
01:16So we are seeing heightened engagement between D.C. and New Delhi, Rajdeep.
01:20The fact that he's put out two posts, one, the India Today cover, which is newsmakers of the year.
01:29And the second one, the photo of India Gates saying that their triumphant arch is going to be bigger and more beautiful than India's.
01:39But having said that, two consecutive posts on India, a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
01:47Dr. Jai Shankar in the United States of America clearly means that the two sides are looking at engagement.
01:52Will that really translate into some sort of an ease when it comes to tariffs, forward movement, when it comes to trade talks?
02:00It's something, again, we'll have to wait and see.
02:02At a point when we are looking at various geopolitical shifts and changes, it is important that D.C. engages New Delhi.
02:10And that's what we're looking at right now, Rushdie.
02:12Okay, I'm just going to get a quick question also from Raj Chengappa of India Today.
02:16Since the U.S. President has put India Today on his truth social post.
02:22Raj, you chose Trump and Mr. Modi on your cover.
02:26And Mr. Trump rather seems to have liked the idea of sharing the space with Mr. Modi.
02:32Well, this was our newsmaker of the year 2025.
02:35It was a tough choice.
02:37And finally, we honed in on both Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the kind of reforms and also the, you know,
02:45very tough times that he had to face, including fighting a war with Pakistan and weathering the tariff storm.
02:51And who was the main tormentor?
02:52It was Sir Donald Trump.
02:53And he, of course, not only shook India, but shook the world.
02:57So, we combined the two and we, there is an analysis of how Donald Trump looks at India
03:03and why did he do what he did.
03:07And then, of course, you know, how we should be dealing with it.
03:10So, it's a kind of well-grounded report.
03:13Glad to see it made it.
03:14Well, you know, being on Truth Social means that it'll reach millions of, it'll have millions of hits across the world.
03:23Raj Chengappa, thanks very much for joining us there.
Comments