The UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, during his first trip to India.
Starmer is leading a two-day trade mission that includes record-breaking delegation of over 100 business leaders, university heads and cultural representatives.
UK Prime Minister was warmly welcomed in India with the streets of Mumbai decorated with his and Prime Minister Modi’s photos.
During their meeting, both leaders talked about strengthening business and trade relations between India and the UK, following the major trade agreement signed in July, as per BBC.
Modi described Starmer’s visit as a significant and memorable event.
They also discussed global matters, including the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Sir Keir said: "The prime minister and I also discussed the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the need for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to co-operate in critical areas like climate and energy, including breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels."
Even though Prime Minister Modi has friendly relations with Putin, he has expressed that he wants the war to end through peaceful discussions and negotiations instead of violence.
However, in the meantime India is still buying fuel like oil and gas from Russia, which indirectly helps finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Starmer also announced that more UK universities will open campuses in India, which is expected to bring a £50 million boost to the economy.
As per the outlet, even though the UK-India trade deal hasn’t officially come into effect yet, it has already brought £1 billion in investment and created nearly 7,000 jobs in the UK.
Under the trade deal, the UK will reduce taxes on Indian goods like clothing, footwear, jewelry and frozen seafood, while India will cut import duties on products from the UK such as Scotch whisky, cosmetics, medical devices and luxury cars.
