'You’ll see Modi, Trump meet': US official signals thaw in ties, rules out Kashmir mediation

THe India-US human human relationship remains warm despite “ sturm und drang” in the bilaterally symmetrical relationship, according to a senior State Department official. A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump will take place in due course, they added. Talks are also ongoing to set a date for the next Quad Leaders summit, either later this year or early next year.“I'm sure you'll see the two (Modi and Trump) meet. They have a very, very positive relationship. We've got Quad Summit and we’re working on planning. At some point that will happen, if not this year, then next year. We’re working on the dates for that. So there's a lot coming up on the US India relationship, and I think we'll see some continuous positive momentum,” the official said. Earlier media reports had speculated that Trump did not plan to India for the Quad summit due to bilateral tensions in the relationship. However, the atmospherics around the relationship have improved significantly since then.In a major statement, the official confirmed that talks between India and America on the former’s purchases of Russian energy were proceeding positively, with a resolution expected in the coming weeks. They added that America had no intention of hyphenating India and Pakistan, while noting that the Trump administration does not intend to mediate on the Kashmir issue.“It is our longstanding policy that this is a direct issue between India and Pakistan and the President, as he is doing with every issue, stands ready if we are asked to offer our good offices. But he has enough crises on his hands. This is between India and Pakistan to solve,” the official added. The statement marks a change in tone on the Kashmir dispute, which Trump offered to mediate in May this year after the close of hostilities between the two nations.While the official acknowledged that Indian purchases of Russian energy had caused frictions in the relationship, they added that high level talks are ongoing to resolve the issue. Top level officials, including U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are involved in the talks. The matter was also discussed during the meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting in New York earlier this week. Talks so far, the official added, have been positive with a resolution expected soon.The official also stressed the importance of ties to India, terming it a “partnership of the future” for the United States.