US President invited as chief guest in 2019 Republic Day of India

The Government of India (GoI) has invited US President Donald Trump to be chief guest at the 2019 Republic Day Parade. The US is yet to officially accept India’s invite, which offered in April 2018. The invitation has been extended against the backdrop of tensions over tariffs, with the Trump administration pressurizing India to reduce oil imports from Iran. In addition, the abrupt postponement of the heavily anticipated 2+2 dialogue dealt a significant blow to the Indian government. However, the US claimed that the delay would not affect ties, and the summit has been scheduled to take place in September 2018.