Washington: US President Donald Trump has received an invitation to visit India, but no decision has been taken yet, the White House said on Wednesday.
"I know that the invitation has been extended, but I do not believe that a final decision has been made," the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters when asked about reports that prime minister Narendra Modi has invited Trump to be the chief guest at the next year's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
She said US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defence secretary James Mattis would be headed to New Delhi soon for the first India-US 2+2 Dialogue with their Indian counterparts external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
"The 2+2 dialogue would begin discussion on the process of a presidential visit next year," Sanders said at daily press conference.
The United States and India have a deep and strategic partnership and "we are going to continue to build on that partnership" and advance co-operation.
"I think, you will see that in the meeting that would take place in September," Sanders said.