'Clearly Prioritising Ties': Jaishankar Says Trump Admin Was Keen To Have India At Inauguration

Last Updated:January 22, 2025, 23:39 IST

Jaishankar made these comments while sharing his impressions of the Trump administration’s approach to India during a press conference in Washington DC

External affairs minister S Jaishankar (Reuters file photo)

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday said that the new US President Donald Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural, stating that they were “clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship" between the two countries.

Jaishankar made these comments while sharing his impressions of the Trump administration’s approach to India during a press conference in Washington DC.

“If I were to share my overall impressions, I would say one, it was very keen. It was very clear that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself. They’re clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship," the foreign minister stated.

Jaishankar further noted that the Trump administration was eager to build on the foundation laid during US President Trump’s first term, which saw numerous initiatives between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Secondly, in the meetings, it was also evident that they would like to build on the foundation of the relationship, a foundation which the first Trump administration also contributed a lot to building. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at that time took a number of initiatives, and we have seen that mature in many ways," he added.

Jaishankar also spoke about the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), a group of four countries—India, the US, Australia, and Japan—focused on maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He noted that the current US administration was eager to further enhance the activities of the Quad. “And the third impression was, with regard to the Quad, a very strong sense that the current administration would reciprocate our desire as well to take the Quad further, to intensify its activities," the minister said.

Jaishankar is in Washington at the invitation of the US government. He attended the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.

On Tuesday, the External Affairs Minister also participated in the first Quad ministerial under the new Trump administration, alongside his counterparts from Australia, Japan, and the US. During his visit, he met with newly-appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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