On the eve of US Trade Representative Jameson Greer’s visit to India next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged US President Donald Trump for the early signing of a bilateral trade agreement at an Evian meeting on Wednesday evening. The two sides agreed on the need to complete negotiations soon so that the trade agreement is signed and Indo-US relations are taken to the next level.
While critics of Prime Minister Modi and his foreign policy assumed that India-US bilateral relations would move into administration mode due to the mercurial President Trump, the meeting turned out to be a complete endorsement of India and Prime Minister Modi by the US President. During the press conference following the bilateral meeting, President Trump made it very clear that he was doing his best to support Indo-US relations and extended all honors and respect to Prime Minister Modi. He said that even with Prime Minister Modi, India had a friend in the White House and that the US would come to India’s aid if it was attacked by any third country.
The statement that the US would come to India’s defense did not mean much objectively in the sense that the Modi government did not need any support to deal with its adversaries, but at the same time it was a message to India’s neighbors like Pakistan. In many ways, this was a clear message to everyone that President Trump had a close personal friend in Prime Minister Modi and that both countries were on the same page on global issues. While acknowledging that India is a global power, President Donald Trump said it was up to New Delhi to decide whether it wanted to play any role in the Middle East peace agreement. Prime Minister Modi held a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky after talks with President Trump.
For his part, Prime Minister Modi praised President Trump for concluding a memorandum of understanding with Iran and his decision to open the Strait of Hormuz for free and open navigation. While raising the issue of safety of sailors with President Trump, Prime Minister Modi also expressed satisfaction with the 60-day ceasefire after the conclusion of the MoU with Iran.
Although many substantive issues were not discussed between the two leaders as the dialogue turned into a good agreement on both sides, the Modi-Trump meeting will certainly unlock decisions that were put on hold due to pinpricks from Washington on trade tariffs, Russian oil purchases from India and Trump’s alleged interference in the India-Pakistan ceasefire after Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
