PM Modi holds talks with French President Macron in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) held wide-ranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to boost ties in key sectors such as trade, defence, energy and critical technologies.

Mr. Macron landed in Mumbai early this morning on a three-day visit to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and meet PM Modi.

After the talks with PM Modi, Mr. Macron will attend a ceremony to launch the India-France Year of Innovation.

His visit comes days after India cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France.

It has been billed as one of the world’s biggest military procurement programmes in recent years.

It is learnt that shoring up defence cooperation and enhancing bilateral engagement in the critical technology sector are priority areas to take forward the ties.

“Welcome to India! India looks forward to your visit and to advancing our bilateral ties to new heights. I am confident that our discussions will further strengthen cooperation across sectors and contribute to global progress,” PM Modi said on social media earlier in the day in response to a post by Mr. Macron.