- Macron to meet PM Modi in Mumbai for bilateral talks.
- Key agenda: Rafale jet deal and AI Impact Summit.
- India-France Year of Innovation 2026 to be inaugurated.
French President Emmanuel Macron will be landing in India’s economic capital, Mumbai, on Monday, for a high-stake visit where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides, he will also attend India’s artificial intelligence push- "AI Impact Summit".
Macron's India visit full itenerary
According to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, President Macron will be on an official visit to India from February 17 to 19. The statement said that the President will also 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 French President’s visit will be tightly scheduled; around 3:15 PM on February 17, the two leaders will hold bilateral engagements at Lok Bhavan, Mumbai. Later, 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.
Why is Macron's visit crucial for both India and France?
This time, Macon's visit is crucial for not only India but also for Paris amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff tantrum. Trump, in fact, on multiple occasions, posted personal comments against his French counterpart, which were sometimes dubbed “offensive” by geopolitical pundits.
As per the news agency PTI, India, in its largest-ever defence acquisition push, New Delhi has cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France, nearly two decades after the plan was originally rolled out to boost the Indian Air Force's combat prowess.
Rafale deal, AI Summit among top agenda
In total, capital acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 3.60 lakh crore, including procurement of an additional six US-made Boeing P8-I surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy, was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project, 18 aircraft will be supplied by Dassault Aviation, the maker of Rafale, in a fly away condition and the rest will be manufactured in India with over 50 per cent indigenous content that will be to be met in phases, PTI sources said.
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Though the defence ministry did not provide the cost of the procurement, it is expected to be in the range of Rs 2.90 lakh crore to Rs 3.15 lakh crore. The approval for the procurement of the Rafale jets came just four days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.
The Rafale purchase plan is expected to be taken up soon by the prime minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security. There is a possibility of India and France inking an intergovernmental pact on the project during Macron's trip.
However, a formal contract on the deal is unlikely before the end of the year as the defence ministry will now have to carry out negotiations with Dassault Aviation to finalise the cost and the finer details of the weapons package.
India-France defence deal: A message to US?
India-French defence partnership will also act as a “strategic messaging” to the West amid the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and the harsh words mentioned in the White House factsheet. Through the procurement of fighter jets from France, it would be a clear signal to the US that America is not the only option for New Delhi for defence related procurements.
While India diversifies from Russian dependence and balances US ties, the massive French commitment signals strategic autonomy-subtly rebuking over-reliance on any single partner, including Washington—without outright confrontation. This reinforces India's hedging in a multipolar world.
(With inputs from agency)