Boris Johnson to meet PM Modi today, says ties ‘vital’ amid autocracy threat

Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, is set to meet PM Narendra Modi on Friday as he kicks off the second day of his two-day India visit.

He was in PM Modi’s home state of Gujarat on day 1 and became the first British prime minister to visit Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic Sabarmati Ashram. In a tweet, ahead of the start of the second day, the 57-year-old world leader wrote: “Looking forward to meeting with my friend @NarendraModi today in New Delhi. From climate change to energy security to defence, the partnership of our democracies is vital as the world faces growing threats from autocratic states. (sic)”.

The Ukraine war is expected to come up for a discussion between the two leaders.

Johnson had recently gone to Ukraine and met the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital city of Kyiv. The UK has been repeatedly calling on Russia to end the violence.

Hours after kicking off the India visit, confirming a 1 billion pound deal, the UK PM in a late-night tweet on Thursday shared the experience of being in Gujarat: “It’s been a real pleasure to be in Gujarat today to see the fruits of the incredible partnership between the UK and our friends in India. Today we have confirmed more than £1 billion in new investments between our two great countries, creating almost 11,000 new jobs in the UK.”

In a message at the Gandhi Ashram, he earlier in the day wrote: “It is an immense privilege to come to the Ashram of this extraordinary man, and to understand how he mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better”. He also visited a new factory and met business tycoon Gautam Adani.

“I was honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions in visiting the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad today. As the world faces renewed conflict, Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings remind us of the power of peace in changing the course of history,” one of his tweets read.

Johnson is also likely to meet foreign minister S Jaishankar in Delhi on Friday.