U.S President Donald Trump participated in a bilateral discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in France on Wednesday, where he said he would visit India “sometime in the future”.
The meeting came after a series of events straining the relationship between the two countries, including Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs on India as well as the recent killing of three Indian seafarers in the Gulf of Oman by the U.S Military after it struck a tanker allegedly violating its blockade on Iranian ports.
Modi raised the nation’s concerns regarding the safety of its sailors in the Strait of Hormuz to Trump. He had also brought up the issue in a speech to the G7 leaders on Monday, stating that “several Indian civilians” lost their lives due to the conflict in West Asia.
“Today the world does not suffer from a shortage of resources; it suffers from a shortage of trust. And the future of our partnerships depends on building this trust,” said Modi.
Modi is currently facing domestic backlash for not directly condemning Washington’s actions.
The two leaders also discussed their efforts to reach a trade deal, which had involved negotiations in New Delhi, when it was announced the United States proposed additional tariffs of 12.5% on countries, including India, for not committing enough to combat forced labour.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that Modi was a “tough negotiator”, and vowed to visit India soon. When asked about the defence cooperation between India and the United States, Trump said Washington would “help” New Delhi if they were “attacked”.
“If anybody attacks that man [Modi], we’re going to be there… Now, if there’s a new leader, I’m not sure about it,” he said.
Wednesday saw the first scheduled interaction between Modi and Trump since the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Washington in February last year.
