NEW DELHI: The US-Iran war dominated the G-7 Summit in France, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended. Without naming the US, the PM referred to the safety of seafarers, but not the deaths of three Indian sailors. The Indian leader also came face-to-face with Donald Trump, but the trademark hug absent. Only a handshake in their meeting after 16 years unlike the hugging at that time.
US President Donald Trump is all smiles as he poses with other world leaders, including India’s PM Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.
What happens when leaders of the world’s richest democracies gather under one roof? The answer lies at the G7 summit being hosted in France by President Emmanuel Macron.
This year’s edition of the G7, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended, was dominated by the US-Iran war. However, other hot-mic moments and challenges, such as US President Donald Trump’s strained relationship with European leaders, also earned the media’s attention.
So, what did we learn from the G7 summit? What unfolded at the spa town of Évian-les-Bains?
A distance between Modi and Trump?
For India, the G7 summit served as the backdrop for a Trump-Modi meeting, a first in 16 months. This is the first time the two leaders have come face-to-face since the Indian leader visited Washington in February 2025, shortly after Trump returned to the White House for a second term.
The meeting came at a sensitive juncture for India-US ties, which have encountered turbulence in recent months amid differences over the Operation Sindoor ceasefire and the Trump administration’s tariff measures targeting Indian exports. Moreover, three Indian seafarers have lost their lives after US forces attacked an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz last week.
Trump touches down in Geneva before G7 talks in France
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Amid this situation, the two leaders met during the G7 summit — but there was no hug in sight. Instead, they shook hands and exchanged a few words. The US leader was also seen patting PM Modi lightly on the arm, a gesture that reflected the personal rapport the two have cultivated over the years.
But more than the lack of hugs, PM Modi’s remarks highlighted the strain in the India-US friendship. Addressing the leaders at the event, PM Modi welcomed progress towards peace efforts in West Asia but said the conflict had cost Indian lives and disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
