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22-06-2026
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: The trade deal between the United States and India was a major subject of discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donal Trump during their bilateral meeting on Wednesday, India’s foreign secretary said, adding that the deal had caused uncertainty between the two nations.
“There are ups and downs in relations between nations, the leaders of both nations deal with them,” Vikram Misri, the top official in India’s foreign ministry told reporters in Paris. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held a “very good” conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G7 summit in France and that their two countries were working on trade deals.
Trump called Modi a “tough negotiator,” and told reporters that he would be going to India “sometime in the future”.
India has been pressing the United States for months for a Trump trip, potentially as part of a meeting including Japan and Australia.
The two leaders’ meeting is their first since February 2025, when Modi visited Washington within weeks of Trump returning to the White House, and the two sides agreed to resolve their differences over trade and tariffs.
Ties, however, have since deteriorated, with Washington imposing high tariffs on Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India’s arch-rival Pakistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India last month seeking to repair ties, but the killing of three Indian sailors in attacks on commercial ships by the U.S. Navy in the Gulf has roiled relations again.
Modi told Trump, in the presence of reporters, that the safety of Indian seafarers working in the Strait of Hormuz region was of “utmost importance” to New Delhi.
“You are aware that hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers are working across the world, performing their duties along international maritime trade routes including the Strait of Hormuz and their safety is of utmost importance to us,” Modi said.
“You have made tremendous efforts to reach this understanding, and I am confident that the issue of seafarers will receive the highest priority during the implementation of this agreement,” Modi said, referring to the U.S. peace agreement with Iran.
Asked by reporters if he shared his condolences on the deaths of the Indian sailors, Trump said: “It’s a rough profession, there’s no question about it, and we work together on it … We love all of those people, they’re great people.”
Trump also said the United States would defend India.
“If they were attacked, we would be there to help them,” Trump said, when asked about the U.S.-India defense relationship.
“If anybody attacks that man, we’re going to be there,” Trump said, referencing Modi. “Now, if there’s a new leader, I’m not sure about it.”
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday, as the two sides discussed the Middle East, trade, visas, maritime security and energy supplies, while Washington cited progress on efforts to resolve the Iran conflict.
Rubio said progress had been made in the past 48 hours on an outline that could help resolve the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and added there was a possibility of “good news” in the next few hours.
He reiterated that Iran could never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and said attacks on commercial vessels were “totally illegal”.
The discussions come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and concerns over shipping lanes and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.
