New Delhi: Ahead of their highly anticipated bilateral on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, US President Donald Trump Wednesday threw his weight in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, repeatedly referring to their close friendship, while promising to work together with India to ensure the safety of seafarers present in the region.
“I heard about that. It is a rough profession. There is no question about it. We will work together on it. This has been happening throughout time. But we will work together on it. We love all of those people and they are great people [seafarers],” Trump said to the press in France.
Throughout the media interaction, Trump was all praise for the Indian Prime Minister and their close friendship, even as his administration Tuesday changed the name of its Indo-Pacific Theatre Command (INDOPACOM) to Pacific Command (PACOM). Trump had during his first tenure renamed PACOM, which was established in 1947 to INDOPACOM, indicating the growing importance of India to the US military.
The change in nomenclature of its theatre command is a further sign of the times, as India-US relations face a number of challenges over trade, the killing of Indian seafarers, and energy security. Last week, the US military launched strikes on merchant vessels attempting to break its blockade on Iran, killing three Indian seafarers, which prompted India to summon the American chargé d’affaires twice.
Modi highlighted the necessity of ensuring the safety of seafarers in his own opening remarks to the press Wednesday. The Indian Prime Minister had also brought up this issue while speaking at a G7 session Tuesday.
“You and I agree that keeping the Strait of Hormuz is vital for the global economy. India has consistently emphasised the importance of ensuring the freedom of navigation and we should work together on that. You are aware that across the world, Indian seafarers in hundreds of thousands are working and performing their duties across global maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and their safety is of utmost importance to us,” said Modi in his statement to the press.
The Prime Minister said he is “confident” that the safety of seafarers will receive the “highest of priority” in the implementation of the interim peace deal under negotiation between the US and Iran. The deal is likely to be signed on 19 June in Switzerland.
This is the first bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump since the Indian Prime Minister travelled to Washington D.C. in February 2025. Between June and September 2025, the two leaders did not speak. The silence followed a call last year after the G7 summit in Canada, where differences emerged between Modi and Trump on how the pause in hostilities during Operation Sindoor was achieved.
The US in August 2025 imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on imports from India, including 25 per cent due to New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. The tariff on India for the purchase of Russian oil was removed in February 2026 after the two leaders agreed to the broad contours of the interim trade deal between New Delhi and Washington.
What Trump said on US-India FTA
Commenting on the deal Wednesday, Trump said that the two countries have been there for “a while” and that it should be concluded soon. The deal was delayed following the US Supreme Court striking down Trump’s powers to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
When questioned on the future of Quad and whether he would travel to India for a summit, Trump made no reference to the minilateral grouping, but highlighted that is looking forward to travelling to the South Asian nation soon.
Despite the challenging year, Trump promised to back India, if the country is ever attacked, especially if Modi is the “leader”.
“We do not have a contract with India. If they were attacked, we are there to help them… If anyone attacks that man, we will be there to help…If there is a new leader, I’m not so sure,” said Trump.
The two leaders held a 30-minute bilateral meeting at Evian. Modi then held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Indian leader’s six-day visit to France and Slovakia is set to conclude Thursday with a visit to Paris before departing for India.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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