Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United States President Donald Trump have spoken about easing tariffs and resolving trade concerns between the two countries, while also shoring up defense ties.

By Nandita Bose, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -India and the U.S. agreed on Thursday to start talks to clinch an early trade deal and resolve their standoff over tariffs as New Delhi promised to buy more U.

The partnership is a pillar of Washington’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region but faces challenges on issues including illegal immigration, visas and trade deficits.