PM Modi visit Israel: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a two-day visit to Israel on Wednesday. During this visit, he will hold talks with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, address the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and interact with the Indian expatriate community.

Before leaving for Israel, Prime Minister Modi said that India and Israel have a strong and multidimensional strategic partnership. He said that this partnership has seen remarkable progress and expansion in the last few years. The Prime Minister said that he is looking forward to his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He told that this visit is taking place on the invitation of his dear friend Prime Minister Netanyahu.

There will be discussion on cooperation in many important areas

Prime Minister Modi said that the purpose of his talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu is to further strengthen cooperation in many areas including science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management, defense and security, trade and investment and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister will address the Knesset

Prime Minister Modi will address the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. During this visit, Prime Minister Modi will also meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog. This visit of the Prime Minister is being considered to give a new direction to the growing relations between India and Israel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Israel tour. This is his second visit to Israel after 2014. The main basis of this visit is his fixed program, which includes addressing the Parliament and many important meetings. Prime Minister Modi will address the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset. He will become the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. During this visit, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will review the progress of India-Israel strategic partnership.

The two leaders will discuss topics of people-to-people cooperation including science and technology, innovation, defense and security, agriculture, water management, trade and economy. There will also be an exchange of views on regional and global issues.

Arrival time and reception

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has released the program of Prime Minister Modi. Prime Minister Modi will reach Israel on Wednesday at 12.45 pm local time. Prime Minister Netanyahu will welcome him at Ben Gurion Airport.

Meeting at the airport and departure to Jerusalem

There will be a short meeting between the two leaders in the airport premises. After this both will leave for Jerusalem.

Reception at the Knesset at 4.30 pm

Prime Minister Modi will be officially welcomed in the Israeli Parliament Knesset at 4.30 pm. After this he will address the full house of the Knesset. Before that, Prime Minister Netanyahu will address.

Dinner at 7.30

At 6 pm, Prime Minister Modi will attend an innovation program in Jerusalem. After this, an official dinner will be organized at King David Hotel at 7.30 pm.

Thursday morning visit to the Holocaust Memorial Center

On Thursday, February 26, at 9 am, both the leaders will visit Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center.

Big meeting and agreements at 11 am

There will be a big meeting between the two leaders at King David Hotel at 11 am. After this, already prepared agreements will be exchanged.

joint statement and return

Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Netanyahu will issue a joint statement in front of the media. Prime Minister Modi is likely to return to India from Israel at 2 pm on Thursday.

talk of forming regional groups

Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister had said that Israel wants to form a group of this region and surrounding countries. This may include India, Greece, Cyprus and some Arab, African and Asian countries.

Negotiations begin on free trade agreement

Before Prime Minister Modi’s visit, the first round of talks on Free Trade Agreement between India and Israel had started from 23 February. The Term of Reference was signed in Tel Aviv in November 2025. According to the Commerce Ministry, the total trade between the two countries in the financial year 2024-25 stood at US $ 3.62 billion. India and Israel are considered to complement each other in many areas.

India-France Innovation Forum: French President Emmanuel Macron posted his photo with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. In the caption of this photo he wrote ‘Jai Ho’. Earlier, Macron addressed the India-France Innovation Forum in Mumbai. During this, he emphasized on the strong relationship of strategic partnership between India and France and said that France will always be a committed partner of India.

Emphasis on India-France innovation

Macron said that now the debate in the world is not on whether India innovates or not, but on who wants to innovate with India. He said that France is the only clear answer to this and it stands firmly with India. His message was that India-France relationship will always be immortal.

Innovation Day will be celebrated in Paris

Macron said that on the suggestion of PM Modi, Innovation Day will be celebrated a day before the G7 conference in Paris. It will be organized under the Franco-Indian Initiative. Many students and researchers from both the countries will participate in this program. Launching the India-France Year of Innovation, PM Modi and Macron decided to further strengthen cooperation in different areas of innovation.

Indian CEOs created global identity

Macron said that Indo-French partnership is not limited only to major technological successes. It also emphasizes on making everyday life better, healthier and safer. He praised India’s technological progress and highlighted the global presence of Indian CEOs in big companies. He gave examples of Indian-origin leaders in companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe and Palo Alto Networks and said that India not only participates in global innovation but also leads it.

India US Relations: India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar began his high-profile visit to America on Tuesday (February 4). On the very first day of the tour, he held two important meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. In these meetings, discussions were held to further strengthen the partnership between India and America in areas like trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals and technology.

This three-day visit of Jaishankar is taking place at a time when, just a day before, US President Donald Trump had announced a big trade deal with India after talking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under this agreement, the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods has been reduced from 25 percent to 18 percent, which is effective immediately.

Jaishankar meets Scott Besant

Foreign Minister Jaishankar started his tour with a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. According to officials, this conversation is considered very important for putting the new economic agreement between India and America on the ground.

These discussions were described as an important step towards finalizing the finer points of the big trade deal announced on Sunday. Posting on social media platform Officials believe that this conversation with the Treasury Department will help translate decisions taken at the political level into concrete policies, especially on issues like ease of doing business, market access and coordination of rules.

Talks on strategic partnership between Jaishankar and Rubio

In the second part of the day, Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In this meeting, many major issues of cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Jaishankar said on social media that bilateral cooperation, regional and global issues as well as many important pillars of India-US strategic partnership were discussed in the talks. These include trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals and technology. He also said that both sides have agreed to hold separate institutional meetings soon to advance common interests.

At the same time, Marco Rubio said in his post that the meeting especially focused on the discovery of critical minerals and opening new economic opportunities. He also welcomed the trade agreement between India and America and called it an important step for the relations between the two countries.

America’s big initiative on critical minerals

The US State Department has already indicated that Rubio wants to work with international partners to strengthen the supply chain of critical minerals. These minerals are considered very important for areas like defence, technology manufacturing and clean energy.

America will host the Critical Minerals Ministerial for the first time in Washington DC on Wednesday. Officials from more than 50 countries will participate in it. The purpose of this meeting is to increase cooperation on securing and diversifying the supply of essential minerals around the world, the US State Department has said.

US State Department issued statement

The US State Department said that Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. At the end of the meeting, both the leaders said that they will further advance cooperation with India and America as well as other partner countries through Quad. He also believed that a strong and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is essential to advance the common interests of both the countries.

Tommy Pigott said this in his statement

Foreign Minister Dr. S. in Washington DC. Regarding Jaishankar’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggott said that in this meeting, both the leaders talked about formalizing cooperation between India and America on exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals.

Both welcomed the trade deal between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the conversation, it was emphasized that both the democratic countries should work together, so that new economic opportunities can open up and common goals related to energy security can be progressed.

At the end of the meeting, Jaishankar and Rubio reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad. He also believed that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region is essential to advance the common interests of both the countries.

India-EU Trade Deal: A big step seems to be taken towards finalizing the historic trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU). In this sequence, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited India, gave an important statement on Sunday and said that India and Europe have chosen a clear option of strategic partnership, dialogue and openness. He described this proposed agreement as a ray of hope for the world.

Clear message of strategic partnership

Before the summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Von der Leyen said that this partnership between India and Europe is giving a strong message to the whole world. He said in a social media post, ‘India and Europe have chosen a clear option, the option of strategic partnership, dialogue and openness. Leveraging your strengths and building mutual understanding. We are showing a divided world that this path is also possible.

Top EU leaders will be chief guests at Republic Day celebrations

It is noteworthy that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will attend India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations as chief guests on Monday. Antonio Costa described India as an important partner of the European Union. “Together we share the capacity and responsibility to defend the rules-based international order,” Costa was quoted as saying in a brief EU statement.

Jaishankar expressed hope for a new beginning

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met both the top leaders of the European Union on Sunday. He expressed hope that the India-EU summit will open a new chapter in bilateral relations. Jaishankar said on social media, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to India. We are honored to have them as chief guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations. I am confident that their upcoming discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open a new chapter in India-EU relations.”

‘Mother of all agreements’

Earlier, during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos on January 20, Von der Leyen had given a big statement regarding this proposed agreement. He had said that India and the European Union are on the threshold of a historic trade agreement, which will create a huge market of two billion people and which will represent almost a quarter of the global GDP. He termed this agreement as the “mother of all agreements”.

bilateral trade worth 136 billion dollars

It is noteworthy that relations between India and the European Union have continuously strengthened in the last few years. The European Union, as a group, is India’s largest trading partner in goods. The total merchandise trade between India and the European Union in the financial year 2024-25 is about US $ 136 billion, which includes exports of about $ 76 billion and imports of about $ 60 billion.

EU-India Relations: India currently seems to be in a strong and decisive position in world politics. On one hand, America seems to be active in making a deal with India, while Europe is openly admitting that its strategy is incomplete without India. This is the reason why the top leaders of the European Union are coming to India as chief guests in the Republic Day celebrations on 26 January this year.

European guests are not just coming to India on a formal visit, but are also bringing with them important strategic and economic proposals. Even before coming to India, the leaders of the European Union have accepted that India is no longer just an emerging power but has become their strategic compulsion. Words like ‘Without India we are incomplete’ give a clear glimpse of the changing global equations.

India is seen as a reliable partner

When the world is going through war, political instability and economic pressures, the European Union sees India as a reliable and stable partner. The proposed European Union-India summit in the country’s capital Delhi is being considered a big sign of this changed global balance. This development taking place around Republic Day is not just a diplomatic meeting but is being considered as an announcement of change in the global balance of power.

The effects of this possible deal will be felt from Delhi to Beijing and Islamabad. On one hand, India is being considered an important pillar of the global security structure, while on the other hand, it is a clear message for Pakistan and China that the West no longer just makes statements, but also stands with India. The coming together of the European Union with India on sensitive issues like defence, anti-terrorism strategy and cyber security is being considered as a step to change the balance of the entire Indo-Pacific region.

Why is EU-India Summit special?

The EU-India summit to be held in Delhi is not limited to just formal meetings. During this period, important agreements related to security, defense and anti-terrorism cooperation are likely to be signed, which will take India-Europe relations to new heights. European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has already made it clear that India has become essential for Europe’s economic strength and strategic stability.

Under the new security and defense partnership, cooperation in maritime security, counter-terrorism and cyber defense will be strengthened. A common strategy will be prepared for the security of open sea routes in the Indian Ocean, maritime domain awareness and against the politics of coercion. This is being considered an important step towards curbing China’s aggressive maritime policy.

Why will uneasiness increase for Pakistan?

The coming together of India and the European Union on the issue of terrorism can prove to be a big blow for Pakistan. Strengthening counter terrorism cooperation will increase global pressure on terrorist networks. Europe’s acceptance of India’s stand is being considered a step to weaken Pakistan’s international lobbying.

Why is China worried?

The talk of stability, open sea lanes and rule-based system in the Indo-Pacific region directly challenges China’s expansionist policy. Through EU-India partnership, reliable standards will be developed in technology, semiconductor and cyber security, which can play an important role in balancing the growing influence of China.

Not just security, economic game is also big

There are now signs of progress on the long pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union. India is expected to get huge economic benefits from cooperation in clean technology, pharma and semiconductor supply chain. Also, there is a possibility of opening up new opportunities for students, skilled professionals and researchers through mobility framework.

India-US Relations: The new US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gore, has given a big statement after taking charge. He has said that the friendship between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi is very true and strong. He told that he himself has traveled the world with President Trump and can testify to this friendship.

Sergio Gore said that the relations between India and America are not just for profit, but are based on trust and cooperation. He said that real friends may sometimes have differences of opinion, but in the end they resolve their differences. Apart from this, he has also given a big update regarding Trump’s visit to India.

Told when can Trump come?

Sergio Gore said, ‘I hope that the President will visit India soon, maybe in the next year or two.’ He also jokingly told that President Trump has a habit of calling at 2 in the morning and according to New Delhi time, this is the right time for him.

Big update given regarding India America trade deal

Sergio Gore also gave information about India-US trade deal. He said that officials of both the countries are actively talking and the next talks are scheduled to take place tomorrow. He said that India is the largest country in the world, so it is not easy to take the trade deal to the final stage, but both the countries are working hard to complete it. Trade is important, but both the countries are also working together in other areas like security, energy, technology, education, health and preventing terrorism.

The ambassador also gave a big good news for India. He said, ‘Next month India will be invited to become a full member of PaxSilica.’ Sergio Gore said that PaxSilica is a US-led initiative. Its objective is to create a secure and strong silicon supply chain in sectors like minerals, energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor, AI and logistics. Earlier it included Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom and Israel. Now India will also be invited to join this group.

Putin India Visit: At present the world seems to be clearly divided into two axes. On one side is Russian President Vladimir Putin and on the other side is American President Donald Trump. America’s tariff policy and the anti-Russian stance of Western countries have increased global tension.

At the same time, India and China are prominent among the countries that openly support Russia. This support Russia is getting from Asia is troubling the western countries. In this background, Putin’s visit to India has become even more important.

Strategic strength of India and Russia in the eyes of China

China’s official newspaper Global Times wrote that the two leaders will discuss important issues like defense cooperation, energy security, trade expansion, technology and partnership in new emerging capabilities. Besides, the geopolitical situation of Euro Asia and Indo Pacific region will also be considered. According to reports, India and Russia are going to sign 10 government agreements and more than 15 business deals. This visit is taking place at a time when the European Commission is coming forward with tough proposals on the use of Russian funds, hence Putin’s visit to India is being considered as a direct message to the Western countries.

‘India-Russia partnership will not come under external pressure’

Professor Li Haidong of China Foreign Affairs University told Global Times that India-Russia relations are extremely strategic and can withstand any external pressure. He says that this partnership shows that neither India nor Russia is going to bow down to Western pressure. According to Lee, this cooperation shows the world that Russia is still an influential power and Western sanctions have not been able to weaken it. Also, India is not going to come under the pressure of America to buy oil and decides its foreign policy only on the basis of national interests.

Political debate has started once again in America regarding H-1B Visa. President Donald Trump’s recent order calls for new restrictions and a fee of approximately $1,00,000 (about Rs 83 lakh) on non-immigrant workers, especially H-1B visa holders. The purpose of this step of Trump is said to be to promote domestic employment. Apart from this, American lawmakers and industry experts believe that this decision can be harmful for both America’s technological leadership and India-US partnership.

Four prominent lawmakers from California and Texas, Jimmy Panetta, Ami Bera, Salud Carbajal and Julie Johnson, have written a letter demanding President Trump to reconsider this policy. He says that the H-1B visa program is the fundamental basis of the American economy and innovation. Limiting it will weaken America’s competitiveness in areas like AI, cyber security and scientific research. The lawmakers wrote that this move would prove to be a major blow not only to talented foreign professionals, but also to American startups and research institutions.

There will be a direct impact on India

These MPs specifically took the name of India in their letter and said that this policy can deeply hurt the India-US strategic partnership. He wrote, ‘High-skilled technical talent coming from India is an integral part of our innovation ecosystem. Limiting the H-1B visa program will not only hinder technological progress but will also affect relations with our democratic ally India. According to the information, last year 71% H-1B visas were issued to Indian citizens, which makes it clear that India is the biggest beneficiary country of this program.

Why should America step back when China is increasing investment?

The lawmakers said that when powers like China are investing billions of dollars in artificial intelligence and robotics, America should focus on attracting talent, not limiting it. He warned that if this policy continues to be implemented, it will reduce America’s innovation capacity and weaken its position in global competition.

The burden on small businesses will increase

The MPs also argued that such high fees would make it almost impossible for small startups and research institutes to hire international talent. According to him, this policy will only favor big companies, while the real strength of American innovation lies in small businesses and emerging startups.”

Possible impact on India-US relations

Diplomatic analysts say that this visa policy of Trump can affect the strategic partnership that has been going on between the two countries for years. A large number of Indian professionals work in America in fields like technology, engineering, medicine and finance. Experts say that if new tariffs and restrictions are implemented, it will not only reduce Indian talent flow but will also limit educational and business cooperation between the two countries.

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India has taken a historic decision for Republic Day 2026. This time the top leaders of the European Union (EU), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will be invited as chief guests. This will be the first time that two top leaders of an international organization will together attend this prestigious national function of India. Both the leaders will reach New Delhi in January 2026, which is considered a symbol of giving a new direction and strengthening to the deepening strategic, economic and diplomatic relations between India and the European Union.

According to the Indian Express report, sources have said that the process of inviting European Union (EU) leaders as the chief guests of Republic Day 2026 is in the final stages. New Delhi and Brussels will soon announce this formal invitation and acceptance. Inviting a foreign leader as the chief guest on Republic Day is considered an important and symbolic step in India’s foreign policy. This selection is not just a formality, but it reflects India’s strategic, economic and geopolitical priorities.

Who was the chief guest in 2025?

India celebrates Republic Day every year on 26 January, which commemorates the implementation of the Constitution in 1950. This event is a symbol of India’s democratic heritage and international friendship. Till now, heads of state or government of many countries have been the chief guests of this function. In 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest, while hosting two top EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa in 2026 will add a new chapter to India’s diplomatic history.

New strength in India-European Union relations

There has been significant progress in relations between India and the 27-member European Union in the last few months. After the visit of top representatives of the European Commission to India in February, dialogue and cooperation between the two sides has gained momentum. On October 20, the European Union approved a new strategic agenda, which aims to take India-EU relations to a new level. This agenda includes finalizing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), promoting cooperation in technical, defence, security and public relations sectors.

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