Overview
- The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 in Évian‑les‑Bains on Wednesday in their first in‑person talks in more than 16 months.
- President Trump lavished personal praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledged to come to his defense if India or Modi were attacked, and posted a photograph of the pair with U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor.
- Officials said discussions covered trade, defence cooperation, energy security, critical minerals and visa policy, and both sides expressed optimism about progress toward an interim trade agreement.
- Modi limited public remarks to prepared statements and emphasized the safety of Indian seafarers, an issue New Delhi raised after U.S. strikes in the Gulf that damaged commercial vessels and killed Indian sailors.
- The meeting blends long‑standing personal rapport with ongoing points of friction such as tariffs and penalties related to Russian oil purchases and signals that the next steps will focus on finalizing trade terms and resolving maritime operational concerns.