It’s the person rather than the process who determines policy in the current US govt: President Donald Trump . Actively engaging him might be the best way to get beyond the current rocky patch in India-US relations.Yes, Trump routinely pushes India’s buttons on trade. But he is an equal opportunity offender. For the relationship to fasttrack, it’s essential that Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk and meet frequently.It’s been said that the leaders of the two largest democracies must have a summit meeting every year. But they should also use the hotline more often. Japan and Israel do so to their benefit. Established during Barack Obama’s government, the hotline seems to have gone cold.Trump and Modi haven’t interacted much really. Traditional hesitation on the Indian side not to expose Modi to Trump’s unpredictability beyond what’s absolutely necessary has been a deterrent. But it may be time to jettison the choreographed in favour of a real encounter where the two can speak their mind, size each other and, hopefully, come to an agreement.Modi can push back against Trump with a comprehensive ‘transactional’ trade deal clearly stated and bluntly conveyed. The Trump government offers a unique and rare opportunity to resolve differences and disputes, and not merely on trade. When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invoked the slogan, ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’ (If Modi’s there, it’s possible) in a recent speech, he was asking for imaginative solutions to the current set of thorny issues. It’s time to test the waters.Resolution of trade disputes would take away a constant source of irritation. It would be a good way to ‘cultivate America’, a foreign policy goal S Jaishankar talked about shortly before becoming external affairs minister.To be sure, India has red lines just as the US. US companies can’t expect to call the shots on how New Delhi makes policy, but their input as stakeholders should be welcomed. There’s always a way out if all eyes are on the prize — investment, job creation and tech transfer.First, it’s not as if India is not buying enough from the US — it clearly is. Just in terms of airplanes, oil and gas, the figure is impressive. But not enough weight is given to the big orders in the US Trade Representative’s worldview. The big orders must be leveraged.Second, Trump alone will decide whether to exempt India from the Russia sanctions law, should things come to that. US officials have been making a strong case against India buying the Russian S-400 Triumf air defence system. But theirs is not the final word.Unlike other presidents, Trump is as likely to go against them as with them. The current difficulties — mounting trade disputes, India’s policies on e-commerce and data localisation, the potential of India coming under US sanctions, simmering criticism of the state of religious freedom in India — deserve highlevel attention. In almost every case, Trump can make or break things. He has to be convinced to not break but build. Modi can do that.The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, later this month. Another opportunity would be in September during the UN General Assembly in New York. Time is short for turning things around. Trump will go into full election mode early next year, which leaves a small window in August 2019-February 2020 to make things right and for Trump and Modi to set the agenda.Trade is Trump’s pet peeve. Apart from that, he is far more amenable to breaking old rules in India’s favour than past presidents. Just ask Pakistan and China. Trump’s decision to sell India drones — the Obama administration was unwilling to — is a good example of his government bolstering India’s defences with real assets.The Trump administration worked hard to make the offer in time for Modi’s 2017 visit, and with time approved the sale of the armed version. Now India is finalising plans to buy 30 Predator-B drones, 10 each for all three services, at an estimated cost of more than $2 billion.Then there are private sector deals that are huge. IndiGo airlines is ready to sign an order for 600 jet engines from CFM International , a US-French joint venture between General Electric and Safran. SpiceJet went similarly big with CFM last year.India has also committed to buying $4 billion worth of US oil and gas every year, to say nothing of the Apache and MH-60 helicopters, and other defence items in the pipeline, all of which will further reduce the $23 billion trade deficit. It’s a small figure compared to the US deficit with China, which was $419 billion in 2018.It’s time to press the case directly with Trump.