PM Modi Likely to Address UNGA in September; Trade Tensions with US Loom
UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the annual high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, according to a provisional speakers’ list issued by the UN.
The 80th UNGA session will open on September 9, with the high-level General Debate scheduled for September 23–29. As per tradition, Brazil will be the first speaker, followed by the United States. US President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first UNGA address of his second term on September 23.
The provisional list indicates that India’s “Head of Government” will speak on the morning of September 26, alongside the leaders of Israel, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Modi last visited the US in February for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House. Following the talks, both sides announced plans to negotiate the first phase of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall 2025.
However, ongoing trade discussions have been overshadowed by recent tariff measures. Trump has imposed tariffs totalling 50% on Indian goods, including a 25% levy specifically targeting New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, effective August 27. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has called the move “unjustified and unreasonable,” vowing to take “all necessary measures to safeguard national interests and economic security.”
The tariff announcement comes just days before a US delegation is scheduled to visit India from August 25 for the sixth round of BTA negotiations. Both nations aim to conclude the first phase of the agreement by October–November this year.
The UNGA’s speakers’ list remains provisional and subject to change in the coming weeks. This year’s session takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war and the Ukraine conflict.
Trump has claimed significant diplomatic achievements during the first six months of his new term, including peace agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo. He has also repeatedly taken credit for halting the May conflict between India and Pakistan.
