Modi To Hold Talks With French President Emmanuel Macron Today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks in Mumbai with French President Emmanuel Macron late on Tuesday afternoon, after which several pacts are expected to be signed between the two sides. The French President will land in Mumbai at about midnight and will later in the week travel to New Delhi to participate in the Artificial Intelligence Summit here. Meanwhile, British deputy prime minister David Lammy will also participate in the AI Summit. World leaders will begin arriving in New Delhi from Tuesday onwards to participate in the leaders’ segment on Thursday and Friday.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with many of the attending heads of state/government on February 18, 19 and 20 at Hyderabad House here. This will be the biggest single foreign policy engagement by India since the G-20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023. Modi will host a dinner for the visiting foreign leaders on February 18, officials said. Almost all the visiting 24 world leaders will attend the dinner hosted by the PM, with the possible exception of Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who is likely to land in New Delhi early on Thursday morning.

The French President, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, will land in Mumbai to a warm welcome, as the two nations and strategic partners inch towards a deal for India to acquire another 114 French Rafale fighter aircraft, the bulk of which will reportedly be manufactured in India. India had earlier acquired 36 Rafale for its Air Force from France.

In a statement, the PMO said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Mumbai on February 17 where he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron. President Macron will be on an official visit to India from 17-19 February 2026 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India, as well as hold a bilateral summit with the Prime Minister in Mumbai. This will be President Macron’s fourth visit to India and his first visit to Mumbai.”

The PMO added: “At around 3.15 pm on February 17, the two leaders will hold bilateral engagements at Lok Bhavan, Mumbai. During these engagements, they will review the progress made in the India-France strategic partnership. Their discussions will focus on cementing the strategic partnership and further diversifying it into new and emerging areas. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance. At around 5.15 pm, the two leaders will inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and address a gathering of business leaders, start-ups, researchers, and other innovators from both countries.”

Modi also welcomed other world leaders who will arrive in New Delhi to participate in the AI Summit. The leaders who will be reaching New Delhi on Tuesday include Estonian President Alar Karis, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Guyana’s vice-president Bharrat Jagdeo and Bolivian vice-president Edmand Lara Montano.

Britain has announced that its deputy prime minister David Lammy and AI minister Kanishka Narayan will be travelling to Delhi to attend the AI Summit. The British high commission stated: “In New Delhi, the deputy prime minister will explore how new British and Indian innovations are changing the world in AI and will take part in a session looking at how AI can drive inclusive social empowerment and tackle inequality. He is expected to speak on a high‑level panel on Friday about unlocking opportunity through global languages and he will also announce new UK support for the Asian AI for Development (AI4D) Observatory, which will support responsible AI innovation and governance across South and Southeast Asia.”