Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2026 in Èvian-les-Bains, France.
During the talks, the two leaders discussed trade, the Russia-Ukraine war, West Asia crisis, maritime security and the broader India-US partnership.
Amid the row over US Navy’s killing of three Indian mariners earlier this month, PM Modi raised the issue of Indian seafarers’ safety and commended Trump for his efforts on securing the peace deal with Iran.
“We have always said that freedom of navigation should be ensured and we should also stress upon that. Lakhs of Indian seafarers are on 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…,” Modi told Trump.
When the US President was asked about the killing of three Indian seafarers, he said, “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.”
Modi a ‘tough negotiator’, most beautiful-looking man,’ says Trump
During the interaction, Trump heaped praises at PM Modi, calling him a tough negotiator and the “most beautiful-looking man. The US President also reiterated his support for India.
“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, Trump said.
When asked if any sanctions will be reimposed on Russia, Trump said, “We are looking at that. We are seeing how far the price of oil comes down, it’s really tumbling. It’s down, it’s soon going to be at the number that was four months ago. On top of that, we will have an Iran without a nuclear weapon. I can tell that the Prime Minister feels very strongly about that too.”
Trump further added, “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 man (PM Narendra Modi).”
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said, “I talked with President Zelensky, and I talked with President Putin. We would like to see that one end. I ended eight 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…”
When asked if he expects India to play any role in West Asia, Trump said, “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.”
Trump said that he has had some very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi and thanked him for “spending a lot of money in the US”.
“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,” Trump added.