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.

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

The partnership is a pillar of Washington’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region but faces challenges on issues including illegal immigration, visas and trade deficits.