Modi-Trump Meet: Why India Must Tread Lightly Despite the Praise from Trump

Given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for travel austerity, the stopover circuit through Nice and Bratislava before hitting Geneva, on his way to Evian for the 52nd summit of the Group of Seven (G7), looked more like a grand tour rather than a working visit.There is no doubt, though, that the last leg of the visit is the one that really mattered. India is not a member of the G7, and thus, does not participate in its core discussions. But it is an outreach member, along with Brazil, South Korea and Kenya. In addition, countries like the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were there, along with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and a Syrian delegation.But, from the Indian point of view, the most important leg of the meetings included those held between Modi and US President Donald Trump. The reasons are well known. Relations between the US and India are at their nadir, a situation best revealed when Modi chose to shake hands with Trump in their first in-person meeting in 16 months, rather than his characteristic hug.'If Anybody Attacks, We'll Be There...': Trump During Bilateral Talks With ModiModi’s messaging at the G7 outreach meeting on 16 June, when he was sitting directly to the right of Trump, was measured but pointed. He did not criticise the US for the deaths of three sailors on account of US firing on a ship in the Gulf of Oman. Instead, he spoke of the general need to protect the life of seafarers who do so much for international trade.But no one could have missed the nuance of his declaration. “Today, the most strategic asset is not minerals, technology or markets—it is mutual trust,” he noted. He went on to add that today the world “suffers from a shortage of trust. And the future of our partnerships depends on building this trust.”There were expectations that the bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump that followed on Wednesday evening would be consequential. Perhaps it was, but we have yet to learn those details. Meanwhile, what we did see was a public performance of sorts that left us somewhat bewildered. With Modi looking on, Trump was asked about the death of the three Indian sailors. The US President issued pro forma condolences, adding, “We love all of them”, and declared that “theirs is a rough profession.”Asked about the defence relationship with India, Trump went off on a tangent, declaring it was a great relationship, and that if India was attacked, “we would be there to help them.” Then, shaking Modi’s hand, he declared, “If anybody attacks that man, we’re going to be there. Now if there is a new leader, I’m not sure about it.”It’s not clear whether all this was in jest or merely to please Modi. But the fact of the matter is, India does not need anyone’s help to defend itself. At a minimum, it is a nuclear weapons power that is quite capable of holding its own against any existential threat.At the press briefing, he also spoke of his “very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi”, whom he described at one point as a “a beautiful looking man, an angel,” even while calling him a “killer” and a tough negotiator.Trump said "lots of things" were happening between the US and India. “The United States is doing the best we've ever done. We have over $19.2 trillion coming in, and we're building factories, we're building everything. The Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States. He's spending a lot of money in the United States, so we appreciate that job.”A bemused Modi could only look on and shake hands with Trump on cue.Stranded, Killed, Forgotten: Indian Seafarers Caught in the US-Iran CrossfireTo cap all this, on the same day, it was announced that the word "Indo" was being dropped from its Indo-Pacific combatant command name, reverting to the designation “US Pacific Command” from the “Indo-US Pacific Command", responsible for the Indo-Pacific region.When the name was changed in 2018, it signified that the US was expanding its Asia-Pacific focus to include the Indian Ocean, at least to the boundary of western India.That was also the year in Trump’s first administration when the Quadrilateral Dialogue was revived. But now, questions are being raised about the Quad. The summit of the organisation, scheduled to be held in India, is not in sight.US officials say the reversion to the old name means little, and is more a matter of "restoring legacy". Perhaps so. But it is also a signal that the US interest in the wider Indo-Pacific region is declining. A manifestation of this is its détente, if not entente, with China.Trump has preferred to deal with China on a one-on-one basis instead of working together with friends and allies, and that includes India. He had spelt out as much in a summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, declaring it was a meeting of “the G2”.At the 17 June press conference with Modi sitting next to him in Evian, Trump said he had had some great meetings with the G7. But now “we have a G2 coming up, and then we have a G20 coming up.”Thus, G2 is seemingly an idea that is fixated in his mind. And, to the world, G2 is a symbol of the two foremost global powers forming a distinct forum for discussing issues. This, without doubt discomfits not just India, but also member nations of the G7.US Hits on Indian Vessels a Wake-Up Call for India's Sleeping Maritime DiplomacyModi made one of the first visits to Washington in the wake of Trump assuming the presidency, in February 2025, hoping to parlay his “friendship” with the US President into leniency on the issue of tariffs, immigration, and professional visas, and reinforce India’s strategic standing with the incoming administration.Despite the hugs and nice words, though, there was no special concession for India when the tariff tornado began. But things really soured when India launched Operation Sindoor, hoping that the US will actually support India’s tough stand against cross-border terrorism. Instead, things went south on a peripheral issue: whether or not the US brokered the ceasefire. Trump has insistently indicated it did, New Delhi has vociferously denied it. Seizing the opportunity, Pakistan moved in a well-oiled offensive, nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, investing in some dubious crypto ventures that had a Trump connection, and offering to export strategic minerals to the US while offering it access to untapped mineral reserves in Balochistan.Suddenly, Pakistan became the flavour of the month in Washington. Its Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were feted in the White House. In a function in Florida in a successive visit, the Field Marshal even issued a not-so-veiled nuclear threat against India from US soil.In recent months, India has seen its irrelevance to the US grow with the US entente with China evolves. As for the Gulf war, it has been more of a bystander than anything else. At the public level, it appeared that all is fine between India and the US. But, the effusive praise from Trump in the background of the past year’s turbulence would suggest that India remain cautious.India-Pakistan Ceasefire: 4 Ways Trump's Varying Claims Can Be UnderstoodThe Trump tornado has changed the world, whether it is on the issue of trade or international law. New Delhi has to face the headwinds and make its way carefully. The US remains the foremost country of interest for India in terms of finance, trade, technology and immigration. The big challenge before us is to work out ways of dealing with this new world.(The writer is a Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author's own. The Quint does not endorse or is responsible for them.)

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Warm Handshakes, Cold Realities in Modi-Trump G7 Meeting

The effusive praise from Trump in the background of last year’s turbulence would suggest that India remain cautious.

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Topics: Narendra Modi donald trump G7