Ambani flies to Qatar to meet Trump, second meeting since inauguration

Richest Asian Mukesh Ambani is flying to Qatar's capital Doha to meet US President , his second meeting since Trump returned to the presidency in January this year.

Ambani will attend a state dinner that the Emir of Qatar is hosting for Trump at the Lusail Palace in Doha on Wednesday, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Reliance Industries Ltd, the firm that Ambani heads, did not reply to an email sent for comments.

While business discussions are off the table, Ambani's oil-to-retail conglomerate has businesses closely tied to decisions taken by the US President. Reliance had last year secured waivers from the US to resume importing crude oil from Venezuela. It however had to following Trump authorising a 25 per cent tariff on countries buying the South American country's oil.

Reliance also sells fuels like gasoline made from crude oil bought from countries such as Russia into the American market.

Also, US tech giants such as Google and Meta have taken an equity stake in Ambani's digital venture.

Reliance has business ties with Qatar as well. The Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has invested about USD 1 billion in Ambani's retail venture.

Ambani and his wife Nita had attended Trump's second inauguration in January. They were also part of the select 100 who attended an intimate candlelit dinner with Trump a day prior to the inauguration.

At the dinner, the two had met US vice-president J.D. Vance and his wife Usha as well, sources said.

The Ambanis share close ties with the Trump family. The richest Indian was present when Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, visited Hyderabad for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2017. She was an advisor to President Trump then.

Ambani was also present when Trump visited India last as US President in February 2020.

Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner and their eldest daughter Arabella Rose were among the celebrities who attended the star-studded three-day pre-wedding celebrations of Ambani's and fiancée Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in March 2024.