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.

Standing alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday, US President Donald Trump referred to China as a "very important player in the world," adding that Beijing could play a key role in resolving the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United States President Donald Trump have spoken about easing tariffs and resolving trade concerns between the two countries, while also shoring up defense