Modi’s High-Level Talks With Global Leaders Signal India’s Push to Align AI and Supply Chains in a Multipolar World
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| Representational Image; Via PM NaMo |
The clustering of meetings underscored how technology diplomacy, trade realignment and supply-chain resilience are converging in India’s external engagement strategy.
On February 20, Modi met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, who was on his second visit to India since assuming office in December 2024. The two leaders reviewed progress on bilateral initiatives following Modi’s April 2025 State Visit to Sri Lanka and reaffirmed cooperation across “physical, digital and energy connectivity.”
Disanayaka expressed gratitude for India’s “swift and unconditional support” after Cyclone Ditwah, including emergency relief under “Operation Sagar Bandhu” and assistance through a USD 450 million package. Both leaders agreed to advance cooperation to support Sri Lanka’s sustainable development and contribute to stability in the Indian Ocean Region.
The same day, Modi held his first meeting with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini. Both leaders noted the “historic conclusion” of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement and adoption of the Joint India–EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda, and agreed to explore further cooperation in startups, IT, renewable energy including nuclear energy, defence, space and education.
The meeting reflected how India’s recently concluded FTA with the European Union is now being operationalised through bilateral channels with individual EU member states.
Engagement with Europe featured prominently throughout the summit. On February 19, Modi met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was visiting India from February 18–19. The two leaders reviewed their strategic partnership, discussed expanding connectivity under the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), and said the recently concluded India–EU FTA would open new avenues for trade and investment.
Mitsotakis’ visit followed Modi’s August 2023 trip to Athens, when ties were elevated to a strategic partnership.
On the same day, Modi met Swiss President Guy Parmelin, welcoming the implementation momentum behind the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). Both sides underscored its potential to “significantly expand trade and investment flows” and agreed to deepen collaboration in innovation-led growth and capacity building.
Modi also welcomed Switzerland’s initiative to host the next AI Summit, followed by the UAE, signalling continuity in global AI governance forums.
Meetings on February 18 with Estonian President Alar Karis, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić similarly emphasised digitalisation, AI, emerging technologies and trade expansion. With Estonia, Modi highlighted shared democratic values and welcomed the “significant strategic upswing” in India–EU relations following the FTA.
With Finland, the leaders called for doubling bilateral trade and enhancing collaboration in quantum, 6G, renewables and defence, while acknowledging digitalisation and sustainability as growth drivers. With Croatia, whose prime minister was making the first-ever Croatian PM visit to India, both sides urged early implementation of the India–EU FTA and emphasised harnessing AI and emerging technologies.
With Serbia, discussions covered trade, AI, fintech, education and agriculture, with both leaders appreciating each other’s support in multilateral fora.
South Asian and Central Asian engagements added a regional dimension. Modi met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on February 18, reviewing cooperation under Bhutan’s 13th Five Year Plan and the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project.
Both agreed to strengthen cooperation in AI and digital technology through mutual sharing of expertise. The same day, Modi met Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, reviewing cooperation across political, defence, connectivity, energy and emerging technologies, with AI framed as a tool for “social good and economic growth.”
Modi’s meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on February 20 extended the summit’s multilateral dimension. Guterres congratulated India for organising the AI Impact Summit “with a view to democratising AI and making it human-centric,” while Modi reiterated his “MANAV Vision for AI.”
Both leaders discussed the need for urgent reform of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, and exchanged views on a multipolar world reflecting contemporary realities.
The most expansive bilateral visit during the summit period was that of French President Emmanuel Macron in February. India and France upgraded their relationship to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” launched the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation and announced cooperation across defence co-production, critical minerals, nuclear energy, space, cyber and health.
Defence outcomes included renewal of a 10-year defence cooperation agreement, reciprocal deployment of officers, collaboration on HAMMER missile manufacturing through a Bharat Electronics–Safran joint venture, and ongoing discussions on helicopter and jet engines, as well as procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine jets.
The two sides emphasised joint R&D in emerging technologies and mitigation of supply chain vulnerabilities under a 2024 Defence Industrial Roadmap.
Beyond defence, the visit highlighted cooperation in critical minerals, resilient supply chains and the IMEC corridor, reaffirmed commitment to the Paris Agreement and the International Solar Alliance, and noted France’s support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Macron invited Modi to the 2026 G7 Summit in France and to preparatory discussions on global macroeconomic imbalances and international partnerships. Health and AI cooperation included inauguration of the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS New Delhi, established under a joint MoU among AIIMS, Sorbonne University and the Paris Brain Institute.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s presence added a Global South dimension. In a joint press engagement on February 21, Modi said India and Brazil were committed to taking bilateral trade “beyond twenty billion dollars” over the next five years and expanding cooperation in digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, semiconductors and blockchain.
Both leaders emphasised renewable energy, biofuels under the Global Bio-Fuel Alliance, critical minerals cooperation and reform of global institutions. Modi said, “When India and Brazil work together the voice of Global South becomes stronger and more confident,” reflecting a shared emphasis on dialogue, diplomacy and institutional reform.
Taken together, the summit’s high-profile engagements illustrated how India is integrating AI governance, digital public infrastructure, resilient supply chains and free trade architecture into a broader diplomatic strategy.
The repeated references to the India–EU Free Trade Agreement, TEPA with EFTA, India–Mercosur expansion, and partnerships on critical minerals, semiconductors and quantum technologies signal that artificial intelligence is being framed not only as a technological transformation but as a pillar of economic security and strategic alignment.
In an international environment marked by trade realignments, supply chain recalibration and debates over AI ethics and sovereignty, New Delhi’s summit functioned as both a policy forum and a geopolitical stage.
By convening leaders across continents while anchoring discussions in AI for development, connectivity and inclusive growth, India sought to project itself as a bridge between advanced economies and the Global South and as a stakeholder in shaping rules for an AI-driven global order.