PM Modi to meet Trump at G7 on June 17; first face-to-face talks since February

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on June 17 at 6:15 pm (IST). A senior White House official confirmed this on Saturday, saying that ongoing negotiations between the two leaders on a proposed trade deal will be a key agenda.

This will be Prime Minister Modi’s first face-to-face meeting with President Trump since his visit to the US in February 2025.

Prime Minister Modi will participate in the G7 Summit on June 16-17 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

During the summit, he will discuss issues such as global partnership, sustainable economic development, and the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) with leaders of G7 countries, representatives of partner countries, and international organizations.

According to sources, negotiations on a proposed trade deal between India and the United States have been ongoing for several months, and this topic will be raised prominently in the Modi-Trump meeting.

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Will the trade deal be the main agenda of the meeting?

A senior White House official said, “Earlier this year, the two countries signed a Joint Framework Agreement for a trade deal, and intensive negotiations have been underway for the past year to finalize it.”

He added, “India and the United States are natural economic partners. There is significant potential for expanding bilateral trade in energy, industrial products, and select agricultural commodities. Prime Minister Modi has a very ambitious vision for India’s role and for India-US relations.”

Following the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Paris on June 18th, where he will hold additional bilateral meetings and attend the VivaTech Summit, Europe’s largest technology and startup event. He will also address the Indian community in France.

The issue of Indian sailors is also under discussion.

The meeting between the two leaders comes at a time when the Iran war and rising tensions in the Gulf region are impacting India. Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent days due to US attacks on oil tankers carrying Indian sailors off the Oman coast.

On June 8, 24 Indian sailors aboard the Palau-flagged oil tanker “Marivex” were rescued following US action. Two days later, a US attack on another tanker, the “MT Setebelo,” resulted in the deaths of three of the 24 Indian sailors. The deceased included Deck Cadet Aditya Sharma, Engine Fitter Shivanand Chaurasia, and Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh.

Additionally, on June 11, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker “Jalveer,” carrying 20 Indian nationals, was attacked. Following these incidents, India lodged a strong protest with Washington and summoned the US Charge d’Affaires in Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs expressed deep concern over the use of lethal weapons against ships, stating that such attacks impact the security and stability of international maritime trade. India has emphasized dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly defended these attacks. In a conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, he stated that the US would not tolerate violations of its naval blockade in Hormuz.