The United States will help India if the country is attacked while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in office, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, as the two leaders met for the first time in 16 months on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France in an attempt to mend bilateral relations that have seen unprecedented tensions over the past year.
Modi praised Trump for his role in efforts to restore peace after the Iran-US conflict, and against the backdrop of the killing of three Indian sailors in US attacks last week, he pressed for measures to ensure the security of sailors during the implementation of the peace agreement that will be signed in Geneva on Friday. He stressed that their last meeting in Washington in February 2025 gave “new speed and new energy” to bilateral relations and that the two sides are working to achieve the goals set last year.
Although Modi and Trump spoke several times on phone since their last meeting and briefly exchanged pleasantries at an networking session of the G7 summit in Evian on Tuesday, this was their first in-person meeting since the prime minister traveled to Washington soon after the president’s inauguration last year. Indo-American relations fell to their lowest levels in more than two decades when Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian exports, and the killing of Indian sailors in American attacks on commercial ships off the coast of Oman cast a new shadow over relations.
Trump offered to help India in case of any attack when asked about the defense relationship between India and the United States during a joint media interaction with Modi before their talks. “I think it’s great [defence] relationship. I can tell you this – without us having a contract, we don’t have a contract – but if they had a contract [India] They are under attack, and we will be there to help them. Is this a good statement?,” he said before shaking Modi’s hand.
“If anyone attacks this guy [Modi]We will be there. “Now, if there is a new leader, I’m not sure about that… but if they are attacked and he is the leader, we will be there to help,” he said, before noting that he had a “great meeting” with President Xi Jinping during a visit to China last month.
Emphasizing his personal relationship with Modi, Trump said: “India can do anything it wants with us. We have the best relationship. We couldn’t be closer than we are now… I don’t think we could be any closer. Both of you.” [Modi] “It’s me and our two countries, but it really starts between us. We couldn’t be closer.”
He stressed that the United States has the “strongest army” in the world, which led to a change of leadership in Venezuela in “48 minutes” and then “defeated Iran” in the first week of the conflict. Trump’s statements appear aimed at reassuring India amid his efforts to rebalance US relations with China.
In his opening remarks, Modi praised Trump’s leadership of efforts to restore peace in West Asia and said: “Thanks to your efforts, Mr. President, a new hope for peace and stability has been kindled in the region and we hope this will lead to long-lasting peace in the region.”
He said that he and Trump agreed that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is vital to the global economy, and noted that India constantly emphasizes the importance of freedom of navigation. “We must work together and focus specifically on this,” he added.
Modi noted that hundreds of thousands of Indian sailors perform their duties across global maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, and make a significant contribution to the progress of the world, and that “their safety is of utmost importance to us.” He added: “Mr. President, you have made tremendous efforts to reach this understanding, and I am confident that this agreement will guarantee the security of sailors and that this issue will be a priority.”
This was the second time in two days that Modi raised the security of Indian sailors in Trump’s presence following the US attacks on three commercial ships carrying nearly 70 Indian crew members in the waters off Oman last week. The Ministry of External Affairs summoned the top US diplomat twice to protest the attacks, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue in a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio.
Asked if he would offer any condolences to the families of the dead Indian sailors, Trump responded: “Yes, I do. I heard about it. It’s a tough job…and we work together on it. It’s been happening all the time, but we work together. We love all these people. They’re great people.”
He also said he believed India could play a role in West Asia: “I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as it is.” [Modi] Leader, India will play a big role.
Following the meeting, Modi said in a social media post that he and Trump “reviewed the continued progress in our bilateral cooperation on trade, energy, defence, technology and people-to-people relations.” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media that the two sides reiterated their commitment to work together to strengthen the Indo-US comprehensive global strategic partnership for the benefit of the people of both countries and “promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”
While Modi did not mention the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement with the US, Trump responded to a question on the issue by saying that the two sides were “very close” to a trade deal.
“We’ve been there for a while. It is.” [Modi] He’s a very tough negotiator, one of the toughest in fact… He looks so gentle, he’s like an angel but in reality he’s powerful, he’s a killer… He’s a tough trader and he loves the Indian people, but he also loves the United States.
Trump’s comments came ahead of the US Trade Representative’s visit to India to advance negotiations on the trade deal, which aims to address issues such as US tariffs and market access. He also indicated his willingness to offer more opportunities to skilled Indian professionals and sell more energy to India.
When asked about greater opportunities for Indian professionals in the US, Trump replied: “Oh, yes, absolutely, I mean always. Yes, we’ve always had a tremendous relationship in terms of employment with India. Very talented people.”
Trump, who last visited India in February 2020 during his first term, said he “will go to India at some point in the future” but did not commit to specific dates for the visit. While he brushed off a question that some of his decisions had led to problems in bilateral relations, he insisted that as long as he was president, India would have a “great friend in the White House.”
With the end of the US exemption from sanctions on Russian oil on Wednesday, Trump said that the US administration is looking at the issue in the context of falling global oil prices. “It’s really down,” he said. “I think it’s between $74 and $75 right now… and soon it will reach the number it was four months ago… And on top of that, we will have an Iran without a nuclear weapon, which I can tell you the prime minister feels very strongly about as well.”
