Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2026. During the meeting, US President Donald Trump said, "We had some great meetings in France... It's a G7. We have a G2 coming up, and then we have a G20 coming up... We had, in particular, some very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi of India. We're doing trade deals... A lot of things are happening between the United States and India. The United States is doing the best we've ever done. We have over $19.2 trillion coming in, and we're building factories, we're building everything. The Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States. He's spending a lot of money in the United States, so we appreciate that job. But I just want to say he's been my friend for a long time now, and we've always had a great relationship, and it's great to be with you..."
Both the leaders held wide-ranging talks on Wednesday, with focus on expediting sealing of the proposed bilateral trade deal and ways to boost cooperation in defence, energy and critical minerals sectors. A day ahead of their meeting that is taking place amid continuing strain in bilateral ties, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation at a gathering of G7 leaders, marking their first in-person encounter in 16 months.
Here’s what Trump said on Indian seafarers killed in attack near Hormuz
On 3 Indian seafarers killed in an attack near the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump says, "I heard about that, it's a rough profession and we work together on it. This has been happening throughout time but we work together..."
If India is attacked, US would be there to help: Trump
On India-US defence relations, Trump said, "I think it is a great relationship...If they were attacked, we would be there to help them...If anybody attacks that man, we are going to be there...If they are attacked and he (PM Modi) is the leader, we are going to be there to help..."
PM Modi told US President Trump, "I commend you for your leadership on the progress in peace efforts in West Asia." PM Modi said, "We have always said that freedom of navigation should be ensured and we should also stress upon that. Lakhs of Indian seafarers are om duty in different seas of the world in the sector of maritime trade. I believe that their security is equally important...I am confident that in the deal (with Iran) security of seafarers will be ensured and prioritised..."
Trump says India plays a big role in everything
When asked if he expects India to play any role in West Asia, US President Donald Trump says, "Yes, I do. I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he (PM Narendra Modi) is the leader, India is going to play a big role."
On the Russia-Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump said, "I talked with President Zelensky, and I talked with President Putin. We would like to see that one end. I ended 8 wars, and to be honest with you, this would have been one of the easiest ones, but they don't like each other, which makes it more difficult..."
Everyone in the US loves India: Trump
US President Donald Trump said, "As long as I am President, they (India) have a great friend in the White House...Everyone here loves India and they have tremendous respect for this (PM Narendra Modi) man."
Speaking about PM Modi, the Russia-Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump said, "...He's a very tough negotiator... You look at this man. I'll give you a lesson. He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice, like an angel. But actually, he's as tough as he is a killer... But he looks so good. So he gets you by surprise. But there are a few people like this. People say he's such a nice man. I said he's very tough. He's a tough trader, and he loves the Indian people, but he also loves the USA. We had 'Howdy Modi' in Houston. The stadium was full... We'll be going to India sometime in the future."
On US-India trade, Trump says PM Modi is a tough negotiator
During a bilateral meeting with PM Modi, US President Donald Trump said, "I had very good talks with President Zelenskyy and with President Putin, and we'd like to see that one end. I ended eight wars, and to be honest with you, I thought this would have been one of the easier ones, but they're not liking each other too much, and that makes it much more difficult. But we're working , I had two good conversations with President Zelenskyy and President Putin." On US-India trade, he says, "He (PM Modi) is a very tough negotiator. He's one of the toughest, actually. He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice. He's like an angel. But, actually, he's as tough. He's as tough as they come. He looks so good. So he gets you by surprise. But there's few people like this. People say, 'He's such a nice man.' I say, 'He's very tough'... We'll be going to India sometime in the future."
Both PM Modi and President Trump are in the French commune of Evian-les-Bains for the G7 summit. The two leaders last met in-person at the White House in February 2025, weeks after Trump's second inauguration. Following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India last month, the two sides were now looking at rebuilding the bilateral ties.
The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
Over the next few months, the US president repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbours and saved millions of lives as it was heading toward a full-scale war. New Delhi stoutly maintained that the cessation of the hostilities was a result of talks between India and Pakistan, and the US involvement had nothing to do with it.
Washington's new immigration policy and its decision to increase H-1B visa fee also contributed to the slide in India-US ties. However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair the ties and even moved forward to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal soon.
Last week, the relations came under fresh strain after three Indian sailors were killed following US military's attacks on three merchant vessel off the coast of Oman. In his remarks at a G7 outreach session on Tuesday, Modi said all countries must ensure that maritime routes remain secure and that seafarers can perform their duties without fear.
Three Indians from one of the vessels were killed in the strikes following which New Delhi summoned the US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks and told him that American military's "lethal and deadly" strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members is "unacceptable".
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