By Nandita Bose, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -India and the U.S. agreed on Thursday to start talks to clinch an early trade deal and resolve their standoff over tariffs as New Delhi promised to buy more U.

As two-way trade expands, India’s surplus is growing. President Trump is expected to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower tariffs.

President Trump greeted the Indian Prime Minister at the White House with a bear hug and called him “a great friend of mine.”