PM Modi’s France Visit For G7 Summit Confirmed, Trump Meeting Yet To Be Confirmed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to France next week to attend the G7 Summit in Evian on June 16 and 17, with the visit drawing attention not only for the global agenda but also for the possibility of a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump.

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officially announced the Prime Minister's participation on Tuesday. While the summit itself will focus on major international challenges, diplomatic circles are closely watching whether Modi and Trump will meet on the sidelines of the gathering.

Global Issues to Dominate G7 Discussions

According to the MEA, Prime Minister Modi will join leaders of G7 nations, invited partner countries and international organisations for discussions on a range of pressing global issues.

The agenda is expected to include themes such as "Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity", "Reviving Balanced, Shared and Sustainable Economic Growth for All", and "Ensuring a Safe, Rapid and Efficient Rollout of Artificial Intelligence".

Apart from participating in summit sessions, Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders during his stay in France.

However, the government has not confirmed whether a meeting with Trump is among those engagements.

Trump's Presence Fuels Speculation

Speculation over a Modi-Trump interaction intensified after the US President recently confirmed that he would attend the G7 Summit in France.

If the two leaders do hold talks, it would mark their first in-person bilateral meeting since Modi's visit to the United States in February last year.

Since that meeting, relations between New Delhi and Washington have experienced several challenging moments. Trump first imposed tariffs on Indian exports and later increased them to 50 per cent in response to India's purchases of Russian oil.

During last year's India-Pakistan conflict, Trump repeatedly claimed that his administration had helped prevent what he described as a potential "nuclear war".

The US President also commented on Modi's visit to Beijing, saying it appeared that the United States had "lost India to China".

Despite Differences, Diplomatic Engagement Continues

Although differences emerged on several issues, communication between the two leaders has continued through multiple phone conversations over recent months.

Bilateral ties have also shown signs of improvement following the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India last month. During the visit, Rubio updated Prime Minister Modi on developments in cooperation across key sectors including defence, strategic technologies, trade, investment, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people exchanges.

Trade Agreement Talks Gather Momentum

Alongside diplomatic engagement, India and the United States are making progress towards a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement.

A US delegation travelled to India during the first week of June to continue negotiations with Indian officials. Discussions reportedly covered a wide range of subjects, including trade in goods, non-tariff barriers, customs procedures, trade facilitation measures and economic security alignment.

As both countries work towards strengthening economic ties, any interaction between Modi and Trump at the G7 Summit could provide fresh momentum to the broader India-US relationship amid an evolving global landscape.