Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a hero's welcome from members of Congress on Thursday as he hailed his country's enduring ties with the United States and touted a flurry of new deals and initiatives.
House and Senate leaders invited Modi to address a joint session of Congress — an honor typically reserved for leaders of the closest allies of the U.S. The invitation showcases India's strategic importance to members on both sides of the aisle. Modi used the speech to emphasize his efforts to strengthen the relationship amid mutual tensions with China, painting an optimistic picture of what the world's two largest democracies could accomplish in the face of difficult geopolitical challenges.
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"A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago," Modi said, referencing his 2016 address to Congress. "But a lot has remained the same — like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States."
"Together, we shall give a better future to the world and a better world to the future," he continued.
The prime minister was met with raucous cheers from the upper deck, where hundreds of Indian Americans chanted, "Modi! Modi!" throughout the address.
Modi referenced his China concerns without naming Beijing directly, telling the chamber, "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership. We share a vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
One goal of Modi's trip was to reduce India's heavy reliance on Russia for arms and oil. India has considered Russia a key ally since the Cold War, with Moscow being New Delhi's primary weapons source. The relationship has created tensions for India with the U.S. amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
Modi addressed this without mentioning Russia by name during his Thursday speech, telling lawmakers, "We were strangers in defense cooperation at the turn of the century. Now, the United States has become one of our most important defense partners."
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"Today, India and the U.S. are working together in space and in seas, in science and in semiconductors, in startups and sustainability, in tech and in trade, in farming and finance, in art and artificial intelligence, in energy and education, in healthcare and humanitarian efforts," he said to a standing ovation from the chamber. "The scope of our cooperation is endless, the potential of our synergies is limitless, and the chemistry in our relations is effortless."
Ahead of the speech, a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers introduced legislation that would fast-track weapons sales to India by adding it to the list of most favored nations for U.S. arms deals, which would accelerate the review process.