Rishi Sunak will maintain talks with Narendra Modi in the course of the G20 summit in Delhi on Saturday to push for a UK-India commerce deal, however won’t urge the Indian chief to take a stronger stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as had been anticipated.

The two prime ministers are resulting from meet on Saturday, with trade and immigration likely to be on the agenda, however not the conflict in Ukraine.

They had been resulting from meet a day earlier however the plans had been postponed. Officials wouldn’t say why that occurred, however Modi did maintain a high-profile dialogue with the US president, Joe Biden, on Friday night.

Downing Street is hoping to signal a free commerce settlement with India later this yr following practically two years of negotiation, and plans to make use of the summit as a chance to make progress on that.

Sunak advised the Indian broadcaster ANI: “Both Modi-ji [a term of respect in India] and I are keen to see a comprehensive and ambitious trade deal concluded between our two countries. Both of us think that there is a good deal to be done.”

Downing Street had mentioned prematurely of the journey that Sunak would use his assembly with the prime minister to push India to take a firmer stance towards Russia, given it nonetheless imports each oil and weapons from there.

But Sunak later made it clear he wouldn’t push Modi to vary his nation’s buying and selling preparations. “It’s not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues,” he mentioned.

A No 10 spokesperson added: “We’re always looking to further deepen the coalition of countries that are in opposition to Russia’s illegal war. I think you’ve already heard from India, who have shown strong support for the UN charter and the need to respect sovereign borders.”

India has expressed assist for the UN constitution, which calls on member states to respect different nations’ sovereignty, however has refused to vote for UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sunak’s go to to India offers him some relief from domestic difficulties, together with the varsity buildings disaster and the hunt to seek out the prisoner who escaped from Wandsworth jail.

He has been acquired warmly in Delhi, the place he has travelled alongside along with his spouse, Akshata Murty, who’s the daughter of one among India’s most well-known enterprise tycoons. He mentioned prematurely of the journey he hoped to be greeted like “India’s son-in-law”.

Any risk of the 2 of them having the ability to tour Delhi and meet locals has been scuppered, nonetheless, by the truth that nearly the complete metropolis has been shut down for the occasion.

They dined alone on Friday night time after a deliberate enterprise occasion on the British excessive fee was cancelled as a result of executives had been unable to get by the police cordons arrange across the metropolis.