French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in India for an official visit aimed at strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The agenda includes confirmation of the sale of 114 Rafale fighter jets and co-chairing the global AI summit in New Delhi. These discussions come amid global geopolitical tensions.
Emmanuel Macron landed in India overnight from February 16 to 17, 2026, for a three-day visit focused on strengthening Franco-Indian ties. On Tuesday, February 17, in Bombay, the country's economic capital, he first paid homage to the victims of the 2008 attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace, which killed 166 people, including two French nationals. The assailants had used AK-47 assault rifles and grenades in attacks lasting three days.
The French president then lunched with six Indian cinema stars from Bollywood to discuss possible cooperations and France's attractiveness for film shoots. At around 3 p.m. (10:30 a.m. in Paris), he met Narendra Modi for bilateral talks, followed by press statements and a dinner at the Taj Mahal Palace. The discussions aim to consolidate the strategic partnership and diversify it toward emerging sectors, according to Modi's services and the Élysée.
A key point is India's confirmation of its intent to purchase 114 additional Rafale fighter jets, a record order for Dassault Aviation adding to the 62 already acquired. The two leaders remotely inaugurated an Airbus H125 helicopter assembly line near Bangalore, managed by the Tata Group. Announced in January 2024, this line should be operational in April 2026, with the first Indian flight by year's end, including the military variant H125M.
They also launched the Franco-Indian Year of Innovation. The talks will address global disorder from Donald Trump's actions, China's rising power, and the Ukraine situation, where Modi has not condemned Russia's invasion but visited Kyiv in September 2024 and faces U.S. pressure on Russian oil imports. They will explore convergences to promote multilateralism.
The visit continues with a focus on artificial intelligence. On Wednesday evening, Macron will attend an inaugural dinner for the Global Summit on the Impact of AI in New Delhi, which opens on Thursday, February 18, and runs until the 20th. Co-chaired by Macron and Modi, this third international gathering – after Bletchley Park in November 2023 and Paris in February 2025 – expects nearly 250,000 attendees at Bharat Mandapam. Fifteen heads of state, including those from Brazil and Spain, and about thirty CEOs such as Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Arthur Mensch of Mistral AI, will participate. Presented as the first in the Global South, the summit seeks to establish a 'third way' between the United States and China, focusing on investments, scientific research for the public interest, and equitable access to technologies.
