A possible encounter between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, from June 15 to 17 has drawn close attention from diplomatic circles, as both leaders have not met in person since Mr Modi’s White House visit in February 2025. Though India is not a permanent G7 member, French President Emmanuel Macron has again invited Mr Modi as a special guest; no formal bilateral meeting has been announced, but a brief pull-aside between the two leaders is widely discussed.
When Mr Modi visited Washington in February 2025, Mr Trump called him a “great friend” and the two announced an ambition to expand India‑US trade to $500 billion by 2030, a sign of efforts to deepen ties despite simmering disagreements. Those strains surfaced again in May during the India‑Pakistan conflict, when Mr Trump said he had helped avert a wider war through trade pressure and diplomatic intervention — a claim New Delhi publicly rejected, saying any ceasefire understanding had been reached directly with Pakistan.
The leaders’ opportunities to meet have already been disrupted in recent years: a planned encounter at last year’s G7 in Canada fell through after Mr Trump left the summit early, and a later offer by Mr Trump for Mr Modi to stop in Washington was declined because the prime minister had a scheduled visit to Croatia.
Trade frictions further tested the relationship after Washington imposed a 25 percent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods and an additional 25 percent tied to India’s purchase of Russian oil; senior US officials argued such purchases indirectly aided Moscow amid the Ukraine war. India largely stood by its independent policy, avoided an aggressive public response and skipped some international events where a meeting with Mr Trump might have occurred.
Relations appeared to thaw as trade talks resumed and tariffs were reportedly eased, with Mr Trump reverting to friendlier public language. The two leaders last spoke by phone in April 2026 to discuss bilateral ties and the situation in West Asia. As attention turns to France, even a short exchange in Evian could influence the next phase of India‑US relations on trade and strategic cooperation.
Original Source: https://www.firstpost.com/india/a-modi-trump-meet-on-the-cards-after-16-months-buzz-over-g-7-encounter-next-month-in-france-14013177.html
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Publish Date: 2026-05-20 12:59:00
